Cinder-Eren
by hamxham
Summary: In which Mikasa is a princess, Levi is the evil godmother, and Eren is missing a shoe. [LevixErenxMikasa] Medieval-ish AU.
1. Brown hair and green eyes

**A/N****:** Hello! ham here :D Welcome to my first fanfic in... *counts* 1.5 years, as well as my first multi-chapter fic. This is quite exciting for me.

Upon proof-reading this story, I realized that there is agonizingly little fluff involved, so let this be a warning to you fluff-hungry readers out there. Hah...

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin (or the cover art); if I did, I would have stolen Eren's beautiful face.

* * *

Cinder-Eren

[In which Mikasa is a princess, Levi is the evil godmother, and Eren is missing a shoe.]

~ o ~

It was quiet inside the Royal Family's dining hall.

Only two people occupied seats at the table. On one end sat Her Royal Highness, the Princess Mikasa of the Kingdom Maria, and to her left, sat her second cousin, the Duke Levi. They both shared dark hair, dark eyes, and a pale complexion, but whereas the Princess was considerably tall for a lady of seventeen, the Duke was rather lacking in that aspect. Being only five years apart, the two were mostly raised together, though one could hardly tell from the way they ate their dinner in silence.

The atmosphere was interrupted, however, when a knock came at the door. A blonde lady entered the room - it was Annie, the Princess's lady-in-waiting.

"Your Highness, we have found him."

Mikasa set down her utensils and dabbed her lips with her napkin. "... Is that so?"

Annie nodded in the affirmative. "He lives in the Shiganshina district, in an orphanage by the south-west shore of the river."

"I see," replied the Princess, and then was quiet.

Levi, however, was not satisfied with this information. "What's this about, Mikasa? Tracking someone down?" When the girl did not respond, he turned his attention to the other. "Who is this person - what's his name?"

Annie looked to her Master for permission to answer. Mikasa turned away - _I don't care_.

"His name is Yager."

"Yager..." Levi leaned back in his seat, testing out the name on his tongue. Suddenly he looked over to his cousin. "Don't tell me..."

Mikasa could not bring herself to look at her companion. "It is..."

"The one with the brown hair and green eyes?"

The princess nodded hesitantly.

"Tch." The duke rose from his seat. "Thank you for the meal, and I bid you goodnight." Levi exited the room and headed to his room in the castle. Shiganshina was a long ways away; he would need a good night's sleep for the journey.

~ o ~

I

"Alright-!"

Eren held the finished product in the air in front of him. It was a shoe: a piece of cloth stitched onto a heavy slab of cardboard. It wasn't anything fancy, but compared to last time, his skills were surely improving. Eren imagined that his pinky toes would finally have some room in this new pair. He could stitch some patterns on the sides, and the shoe would be perfect.

At that time, the sound of a door opening and closing caught the brunette's attention. He turned to see a certain friend enter. "Jean!"

"Yo, Eren." Jean, a well-built man of eighteen with ash-blond hair, had just returned from collecting firewood, which he unstrapped from his back and dumped by the fireplace. Dusting off his hands, he pulled out a chair and sat down at the table next to his friend. "You finished another pair?"

Eren looked to the older male and nodded triumphantly, earning a chuckle and a congratulatory pat on the shoulder. "One day, we can start making money off of these," Eren mused, turning over the shoe in his hand.

"You already have," Jean pointed out. "Didn't you sell a few pairs these past months?"

"I did, but those hardly got us anything. The money was gone in a meal. What I mean here is really make money. Once I get really good at these, I could - oh, I don't know - set up a little shop at the corner of our street. We could start helping out Hannes with the expenses-"

"Whoa, whoa, there," Jean interrupted. "You mean, you will be helping out with the expenses. I'll just be helping out around the orphanage, fixing things, gathering supplies. Like always."

"Right." Eren smiled at the other. "But what you do is very important, Jean. You keep this place running. Hannes, the kids - everyone appreciates it very much."

"Tch," Jean scoffed and turned away. "Don't get all affectionate on me, boy. You do it too, and you obviously know as well as me that it's only natural. Crazy old man took us in and gave us a place to grow up. It's our turn to pay him back now. Speaking of which, where's that bastard anyways?"

"He left earlier to go drinking or some other."

"Figures." A silence rolled in over the two, and Jean watched as Eren cleaned up his workspace. The needle, thread and spare cloth went into a little tool box, and the shoes were set by his old pair, by the door. As Eren returned to his seat, Jean stood up.

"I'm turning in for the day. If you could, Eren, the fireplace needs some cleaning. Weather's getting pretty cold, the kids want the fire burning every night now."

"Got it. I'll take care of it. Rest well, Jean."

"Thanks, and good night."

Eren listened to Jean's footsteps as they retreated to his bedchamber, concluding with the _ba-dup_ of a closing door. Letting out a deep breath, Eren realized that he was getting tired too, but he forced himself to his feet and to the other side of the room. He might as well finish with the fireplace quickly then get to bed.

He lowered himself to his knees and began sweeping out the ashes. He saw as his hands - then clothes, then face and hair - got coated with the black substance, but such were the side-effects of chimney sweeping. The fireplace became cleaner as Eren became dirtier, but Eren didn't mind. It was for the kids, after all.

The kids - how many of them were there by now? Ten? Twenty No matter the number, there were always more still on the streets, still wandering with no food and no shelter. Eren could still remember when he was that child, cold and lost with nowhere to go. It was a horrible feeling. He shuddered just thinking about it.

He had been ten at the time, seven years ago. It was all so sudden too - one day he woke up to find his mother gone, and a few days later, his father as well. Scared and confused, Eren had waited for them to return. He waited, and kept waiting. But they never came back.

It was soon found out, by the local patrol, that adults no longer inhabited the house. Due to housing shortages, another family was permitted to move in, effectively driving Eren out of his home. The only things that Eren took with him when he left was a few changes of clothes, stuffed into a sack and a shoe his mother had made for him - alas, it was from her that he learned the basics of shoemaking.

Miserable days followed, until the hour when Hannes found him. Eren was brought back to the orphanage, where he met Jean, among others. The two, being of similar ages, became fast friends, though not without a good share of fights. Each was convinced that his own trauma was greater - Eren's looming uncertainty of his parents' whereabouts and conditions, or Jean's having seen his parents' starve to death from the famine with his own eyes. Of course, there was no answer, and by the time the two agreed to this truce years later, they were adults and ready to move out on their own.

While the majority of their peers had since left the orphanage to work and make a living, Eren and Jean opted to stay behind to help Hannes with the orphanage. The man was, after all, employed as a local patrol and had a knack of coming home tipsy or drunk. That, combined with his ever increasing age, made him just a bit unreliable when it came to taking care of kids. When Eren and Jean presented the offer, Hannes had gratefully accepted, even offering to let them stay in his house - Jean got the storage room, and Eren the attic, and it had been that way ever since.

All in all, Eren liked his life. Of course, he often wished that he had more to remember his parents by than a single shoe that his mother crafted, but some things cannot be helped. Eren was lucky enough to meet as great a man as Hannes, who gave him a second chance. There was Jean too, who was like a brother to him.

And then there were the kids. Youthful, innocent faces, tossed mercilessly into the cruelest of fates. But these were still the lucky ones. They may not have ample food, or spacious homes, but they had been found. Eren too, was found.

And that was more than enough to be thankful for.

~ o ~

A loud banging came at the door the next morning.

Eren woke up in a startled haze, sitting up so quickly that his head came into contact with the brick above him.

Wait a minute... Brick?

"Ow..." He grumbled, rubbing the area of contact. Where the hell was he? There was no brick in the attic.

_Don't tell me..._ Oh, goddamnit. Looking at his surroundings, it was confirmed: he had fallen asleep while cleaning the fireplace. Eren cussed under his breath and began to stand up, when another series of banging began.

Eren's eyes widened as he sat frozen to the spot. What was going on? Jean had woken up too, rushing into the room. "Eren?"

The younger boy had no reply. He momentarily wondered if another man - namely Hannes - would join the scene, but the damned old man probably never came home last night. At this point, however, he had no time to contemplate this, as the banging only got louder and louder, to the extent where the door was sure to give in, and then, with one last impact, the door swung open on its hinge with a crash.

The party responsible for the clamour was, Eren saw, an unexpectedly short man. His clothes were those of a noble, spotless and with a starched collar; his black hair was neatly trimmed and his equally dark stare was menacing, to say the least. He stepped into the room as if he had not just kicked open the door moments earlier, shooting sideways glances with his sharp grey eyes at his surroundings.

"Alright now, where's Yager?"

Eren's breath hitched at the sound of his last name. Who was this man? And why did he know his name? But Eren could not find the will to speak. Thankfully, Jean spoke in his stead.

"What the fuck is up with this?" He snarled, approaching the rather compact intruder. "Who are you that you can just barge your goddamn way into this house?!"

The black haired man was not fazed in the least by the outburst. Instead, he walked over to the soot-covered boy and crouched down to inspect him. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Why did he turn out to be such a dirty fucking brat..."

Though the words had been mumbled, Eren caught them and grimaced at the insult. But he dared not talk back, for the other man had the aura and the attire of someone with high social standing, and much power. The man stood up and turned around. "Levi, Duke of Maria."

Eren felt himself tighten. Such high rank... what was he doing here? Not knowing what to do next, Eren rearranged himself to his knees and blurted out, "I'm Eren, and that's Jean. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my Lord."

The duke scoffed. "Charmed," he spat caustically. "Now, if you don't mind, I shall be taking Yager here with me." While he said this, he kept his eyes on Jean, who had not moved from his previous stance. "You got a problem?"

Jean clenched his fists. "N-no... my Lord."

Levi turned his attention back to Eren, who hastily collected himself approached the noble. However, the shorter man's countenance turned into that of disgust once again.

"Who the fuck are you, Cinderella?"

Eren stopped in his tracks, utterly confused. "Sir...?"

"Or should I say, Cinder-Eren." The duke chuckled at his own joke, though his face remained as unfriendly as ever. "You're not going anywhere with that crap all over your face and clothes. Go get your fucking self cleaned up before I kick your sorry ass into the river, understand?! And grab your shit while you're at it."

"Yes, sir!" Eren turned around and rushed to the washroom, washing up as fast as he could and returning minutes later, along with a pack of his few belongings.

"Took you long enough, brat. Your friend here doesn't seem to like me much."

Eren, still slightly wet from his quick wash and dressed in the cleanest set of clothes he owned, looked to Jean to see scrunched eyebrows and a repressed scowl. Eren didn't blame him, the brunette was more than a little upset at the turn of events and would have very much liked to fight back, if he weren't so shocked and damn intimidated by that midget of a man.

But there was nothing to do now, except follow the duke's orders. Eren shot Jean one last apologetic look, as if to say sorry that their lives together in the orphanage would be torn apart so suddenly. "Tell Hannes... that I said thank you and goodbye."

Jean grunted in acknowledgement, and nothing more.

Once out of the house, Levi ordered the brunette to get in the closed horse carriage that awaited them. Eren obeyed, and placed his bag next to his feet. The wanting size of the bag caught the duke's attention, and yet again he chose to voice his offensive opinion. "That's all?"

Eren looked to his feet. "It's all I have, sir."

Levi clicked his tongue out of annoyance. "You've got to be fucking kidding me..."

Finally, the duke ascended the carriage, and the party took off. After a few moments, Levi spoke again. "We're heading to my estate, right now. I'm keeping you under close watch so don't even dare to try anything funny. For now, I have two rules: don't talk, and don't touch me. Understood?"

Eren said nothing.

~ o ~

* * *

**A/N: **There you go! As someone who's written a crap-ton of one-shots and drabbles, I sincerely hope that you all can deal with me as I struggle through pacing a longer work :') At this point, 4 chapters have already been written (wanted to make sure I was committed enough to finishing this story) so I will be updating fairly quickly.

I want to thank **freshia** for the inspiration to work on this fanfic. Also a shout-out to **Chappy-the-Bunny.** It's so great to meet you guys again in this fandom!

Thank you for reading, and reviews are much appreciated. xoxo


	2. Into a new life

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter!

I'm currently finishing up a one-shot that flowed out of my fingers yesterday (GOD was that easier to write than this!) so please keep your eyes out for that (especially if you like mushy stuff! hehe.)

Anyways, without further ado-!

* * *

II

The trip was, indeed, a very long one. Eren, though initially captivated by the sceneries that he had never seen before, soon got bored when the towns turned into endless snow-covered pastures, wishing very much he could take out his sewing materials, if not for the bumpy ride that made sewing near impossible.

The duke, on the other hand, contented himself with brushing dust off the armrests.

Hours into the trip, something came up on the horizon that caught Eren's interest in the full. "That's the castle!" He exclaimed, completely forgetting the trip's Rule Number 1.

Levi, surprisingly, did not snap at the kid. He instead looked out the window in the direction they were heading. "Yes. That's the castle."

"Wow..." Eren breathed, green eyes twinkling at the sight. He seemed to realize at that time that he had broken Levi's no-talking rule, and stayed silent thereafter.

Levi, however, spoke again. "Do you dream of living in the castle, Eren?"

"Eh?" Eren looked to the older man. "I... haven't really given that much thought, Sir."

Levi raised his eyebrows slightly. "What of the Princess? It must be a common dream amongst you brats to marry the beautiful Princess, or to at least catch sight of her."

Once again, Eren answered in the negative. "I am not sure about that, Sir... I, uh, have not ever thought of the Princess. To be honest, I do not even know her name, much less what she looks like."

The dark-haired man nodded slowly, and asked no more. How would Mikasa feel if she knew this? That the boy she had searched for for so many years had not so much even heard of her name?

Brown hair, green eyes, brown hair, green eyes. Well, this kid sure as fuck had brown hair and green eyes, but Mikasa didn't tell him that he'd be such a brainless idiot, too. Not that she could've known anyways. After all, that was why Levi decided to be the one to retrieve the boy: he wanted to see for himself who this Eren Yager really was.

Mikasa, with all her reputation of being a very bright and level-headed young lady, was brainless when it came to just one thing, and that thing was Eren. She began speaking of him some seven years ago, and officially began the search for him two years ago, once she gained enough authority in the castle to dispatch the personnel needed. To this day, Levi did not know where Mikasa heard of this boy, or why she was so intent on finding him, but she refused to tell, and Levi had since come to accept her preoccupation with him without further question.

Still, Levi worried over this. All Mikasa knew of the boy was his hair and eye color, general location, and apparently name, as Levi found out the night before. Normally, such information was more than enough to track a target down, though, as it turns out, it was significantly more difficult when said target was a minor, and orphaned. When at first the searches were unsuccessful, Levi had hoped, despite - or maybe because of - his care for Mikasa, that they would never find him. Who knew what the kid would turn out to be like? What if he was a shameless pickpocket, an illiterate fool, or, in this case, a dirty jobless brat?

If it were up to Levi, he'd banish this piece of scum from the kingdom in an instant. Just the thought of the boy covered in soot as he first saw him was enough to make his digestive track make turns. Unfortunately, it was not he who wished to find the kid; it was Mikasa, and that damned monster of a lady would surely have his head if he did anything to her precious dream-boy. In fact, she'd probably give him hell enough for snatching the boy away first, but there was no way Levi would hand him over just yet.

He'd need to train the boy, yes. Familiarize him with the life of nobility, teach him proper etiquette, and most importantly, knock some intelligence into that irritatingly stupid brain of his. The brat would need to prove himself if he wanted to ever make the acquaintance of the Princess, not that he had enough of a mind to even want such a thing, as it turned out. That was very troublesome in itself, but Levi planned to change it. By the time he was done with the kid, he'll be begging on his knees to spend even a moment with the precious Princess.

Yes, Levi thought as he looked again at the teenager across from him, who was once again lost in his naive amazement at the outside world. That type of want and dedication is what Mikasa deserves.

The man continued to observe Eren's ever changing - but always so stupidly innocent - expressions. For a moment, Levi wondered if he would actually be able to get through such a thick, ignorant skull, but he decided, he would definitely find a way.

Duke Levi, as the people knew, gets shit done, and he'd be damned if this idiot ruined his lovely reputation.

~ o ~

It was afternoon by the time the carriage arrived at Levi's estate.

They passed through a set of grandiose gates and a seemingly endless garden before they reached the actual manor house. Servants from inside the establishment came out to receive the master and guest, opening the carriage door for the two to exit.

Once on solid ground, the carriage was taken away, and Eren followed Levi into the massive house. His expression was taken over again by awe, for never in his life had he seen such wealth, and such extravagance. The marble floor, large-scale paintings, hand-carved furniture, and chandeliers all sparkled with richness. At that moment, Eren thought back to his life at the orphanage, the simplicity of the house, the plainness of the food, and his meager attempts to earn money - and for the first time, he saw in perspective just how low, how insignificant he truly was.

Levi caught Eren staring at the decorations, and had to suppress a proud smirk. "Come on, brat, you'll have all the time in the world to ogle at this place later."

"Y-yes Sir!" Eren pried his eyes away from the walls and followed Levi through an archway. They passed by the salon, the dining room, then up a flight of stairs, and down a hallway until they reached their destination. All the while, Eren fought back the urge to become too engrossed in his surroundings, but when Levi opened the door to the room they stood in front of, Eren couldn't help but let his jaw drop open.

"This is your room."

At first, the brunette did not even register the statement. After all, it made no logical sense and so his brain ignored it. It was not until perhaps ten seconds later that he replayed the words to himself and finally understood the meaning. "...What?!"

The duke let out an annoyed sigh. "I said, this is your fucking room. Put your things away..." Levi eyed Eren's bag of belongings, "...and put on some clean clothes. There are different sizes in the closet so find one that fits, just don't get the rest of them dirty. When you're done, meet me in the dining hall. We'll have a late lunch."

Eren was still too shocked to answer. His stomach even grumbled in response to the prospect of food, but he did not notice.

The other male, however, would not accept being ignored. "Yager! Do you hear me! Or would you prefer a room in a the basement? Perhaps it would be more suitable for the likes of you..."

Eren shook his head furiously. "No, Sir! I thank you very much for this arrangement. I'm just surprised, is all..."

Levi made another face before turning around. "Whatever. Just hurry up and do your shit. I don't have all day." He walked away, leaving the brunette alone in the hall.

Eren swallowed, and turned his attention back to the room. He rested his hand on the wooden door frame tentatively, as if testing out whether this was, in fact, reality. The frame felt solid enough against his palm, and so, with a deep breath, he stepped inside.

The room had seemed huge from the outside, but now that Eren was inside, he realized it was even bigger than he imagined. He had already seen the full sized bed in the middle of the room, complete with deep mahogany bedposts and drapes, along with a matching drawer and desk to the right, and a closet on the left. What he didn't see before, was a floor length mirror and another doorway on the left, leading to a private bathroom, with a generously sized tub and all.

"I can't believe this..." he whispered to himself, as he stepped further inside the room. He came to the bed and sat down, amazed at how fluffy it all was. All Eren wanted to do at that point, really, was to continuing gawking at everything around him; he'd never so much had three pieces of furniture to his name, and what's more so, the room was just about the size of Hannes's entire house.

However, Eren knew better than to disregard the duke's orders to hurry, so once again, he forced himself to contain his awe and do what needed to be done. Setting his bag under the bed, he walked over to the closet where, sure enough, multiple sets of clothes in various sizes were hung. He reached for the middle of the array - Eren was 5'7", a rather average height - and upon holding the clothes up against himself, decided that it was a good enough fit and changed into them. After checking his appearance one last time in the mirror, Eren headed out of his room.

Eren arrived in the dining room to see the duke already cutting into his food. "Sit down," Levi commanded monotonously, without looking up. Eren obeyed immediately, slipping into the other seat in front of which food had been set.

Eren gulped upon seeing the food in his plate. At home, lunch would usually consist of a roll of bread, with the occasional slice of cheese, and a glass of water. What sat in front of him, however, in shimmering dishware, was chicken, mashed potatoes, sauce, and salad, complete with sparkling cider on the side.

"You're spacing out again..." an impatient voice growled from across the table.

"S-sorry!" Eren picked up the silverware - he hoped it didn't make too much of a difference which fork he used - and quickly began to dig into the food. He realized, with a somewhat unsettling thump in his chest, that what he was eating right then was probably fancier than even the New Years' meals he'd had at the orphanage, and this thought made him feel exhilarated yet guilty at the same time.

The meal was eaten in silence. When he finished with his food, Levi wiped his mouth with his napkin, prompting Eren to do the same. Afterwards, the brunette sat nervously, praying that he had not made a fool of himself during the meal. He waited for the other man to say something - a comment, a command - and one agonizing second passed after another, until finally:

"Yager, come over here."

Eren lifted his gaze to meet unmoving grey eyes. "Yes, Sir." He stood up carefully and rounded the table, stopping once he was next to the other.

Levi turned in his seat to face the boy. He raised a hand towards Eren's chin, causing the younger to flinch at the unexpected action.

"Don't move," he growled, and Eren froze up, nervously wondering what the duke could possibly be doing. Was he about to be hit? His hand, however, stopped short of his face, and instead, two fingers slipped into Eren's buttoned collar.

"S-sir?" Eren gasped, flustered by the sudden coldness against the hollow of his throat, but still rooted to the spot as per the previous command. The fingers then left his skin and tugged at the fabric, before Levi withdrew his hand.

"Your shirt is too big for you, Yager." He held his hand in the air, pointer and middle fingers extended. "Two fingers. That should be the space between the collar and you. Also, the shoulder seams should not be hanging off. And the sleeves... nevermind. Get a size smaller next time, won't you?"

"...Yes, sir." Eren never knew that there were so many specifications to how a shirt should fit, but then again, he never had many shirts to begin with. The shirts he did own, though - mostly hand-me-downs from Jean - fit him just like the shirt he wore now, and he felt ashamed to realize that none of them would be up to Levi's standards, even if they overlooked the crude quality of the fabrics.

"Well," Levi sighed, breaking the silence that had developed, "you're not doing too bad, Yager. You even ate... somewhat cleanly."

Eren peered over at the table. Servants had since come and cleared off the plates and whatnot, leaving a plain view of the crumbs left where Eren sat, and the lack thereof where the duke sat. Eren again felt a wave of embarrassment; he could no longer tell if what Levi said was a compliment or an insult, and so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

After another moment, the duke stood up from his seat. "I would like some rest now. You are to return to your room for the afternoon, and will be called for dinner when it is ready. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir." Eren bowed deeply, and the two left the room.

~o~

* * *

**A/N: **SAVOUUUUUUUUUR the fluff... because that's all you're gonna get for a while. Really. It wasn't even real fluff though. Cries.

Story's gonna be a bit slow, but I have an irk against stories that progress too fast :P Hopefully it's not too slow though.

Please remember to leave a review if you enjoyed! xoxo


	3. Wings of Freedom

**A/N: **Chapter 3! This is exciting! Thank you to those who have reviewed/faved/followed! Especially reviewed. Those make me really happy C: \shot

* * *

III

"You are a guest at this house, but don't get it into your shitty brain in any way that this will excuse you from my rules, you hear?"

Those were the first words the duke said to Eren the next morning, after Eren entered the dining room to have breakfast. Half-asleep and quite groggy, the brunette had greeted the shorter man with a friendly "Good morning," only to be met with a strict lecture.

"My rules," Levi continued, "are that you will follow my orders, or you will be punished. I told you that you were to be in this room at 8:00. What time is it now?"

Eren winced as he glanced nervously at the grandfather clock that stood at the other end of the room. "It's 8:05, sir..."

"Exactly. Now sit your ass down before I ruin it with my foot."

Eren was sitting in an instant, eyes glued to the food set before him as to not make eye contact with the angry duke. He wondered, as he chose a fork based on Levi's instructions from the night before, what had come over the man to put him in such a snappy mood. He had been much nicer yesterday - not pleasant, but nicer - and now, he looked ready to hit if they weren't in such an unsuitable place as the dining room.

Then again, Eren thought back, their first encounter had been more or less along these lines, with menacing stares and irritated words. Maybe Levi just wasn't a morning person. That must be it, Eren hypothesized hopefully, but anyhow, he would find out soon enough.

~ o ~

Eren did indeed find out, and the result was not what he wanted.

Levi's mood did not lift in the lightest throughout the day. Not during lunch, not when giving Eren a full tour of the house, not during afternoon tea, and certainly not during dinner.

If anything, it got worse.

"Stop slurping the damn soup, brat."

Eren looked at Levi over the bowl of chowder he was eating from. He hadn't even realized he was making noise. "Sorry, sir."

Levi wrinkled his nose, unimpressed. "You might as well stop eating. I'm losing my appetite just listening to you."

The brunette put down his spoon and bit his lip. He wasn't nearly done with his food, but the duke's words were unsavory enough. He must have looked very obviously dejected though, because Levi followed up on his words:

"Don't give me that look, brat. Unless you want me to punch that worthless face of yours."

"No, sir." Eren's voice was small as he tried to collect himself and put on a more neutral expression. He sat back in his chair and set his hands in his lap.

"Hmph." Levi looked away momentarily, but returned his eyes to the boy that sat across from him. Eren stiffened as he felt the scrutinizing gaze on his figure, bracing himself for whatever comment may come next-

"That shirt fits well on you."

The sudden shift to a half-compliment once again knocked the younger boy off balance as he looked up with bright eyes to his superior. With all the insults and disappointment thrown his way in the previous hours, he felt his chest flutter with nervous pride that he had done at least one thing right. "T-Thank you."

"You may leave the table now."

Eren stood up obediently, quietly bidding the older man "Good night" before heading towards his own room. His head still spun with the compliment the duke had given him, dissecting the short phrase to search for sarcasm - but alas, it hurt his brain and he gave up.

He arrived at his bedchamber, and once inside, Eren fell onto his bed with arms and legs sprawled wide. He was not physically tired, per say - they had not done much other than walk through the estate - but he was spent emotionally, seeing as the duke's words were certainly not for the weak of heart. As a rather simple-minded person, Eren dealt with them well enough, but he could not say that he was ready for another day of them just yet.

At this time, his stomach growled, reminding him of the unfinished dinner that was probably cleared off the table by now. If only he'd been allowed to finish-! But alas, Eren knew he had no right to complain; this day, he had been better fed than any other day in his life. In the orphanage, no one ever had a proper three-course meal. Even with his parents, when they were considerably better off, conditions were still a far cry away from the treatment he received here.

Jean would love to have meals like this, Eren thought - his older friend did have quite an appetite after all. Speaking of Jean, Eren wondered how he was doing right now. Was it duller at the orphanage without Eren? Was the work harder? How was the old man Hannes holding up?

And then his parents... thinking of his family now, Eren reached a hand under his bed. He pulled up his bag of belongings and then, from within, drew out the single shoe that was the memento from his mother.

The fabric was a plain color, a muddy brown that was characteristic of the lower classes. On the sides, however, there were decals stitched in - a feathery design, reminiscent of the "Wings of Freedom" of the special military corps that Eren had wanted so badly to join when he was young. He had gone as far to teach himself sword fighting amongst other skills, until tragedy struck and he gave up on this dream.

It had been a long time since his mother gave him the shoe, but it remained clean and unworn. It was a single shoe, after all, and not to mention that it was made much bigger than his feet were at the time. For when you grow up, his mother had said.

Well, he was grown up now, Eren realized with a nervous thump in his chest. Would it fit...? He nervously reached the shoe to his foot - it was his first time trying it on in a long while - and slipped it on over bare skin.

It was perfect.

With a little inhale of excitement, Eren took it off again, as if to preserve its unworn state. He held the shoe in two hands, marvelling at the size and shape with a small smile. His mother was truly a gifted woman.

But then, Eren frowned. What about the other shoe? His mother had been working on that one when she disappeared, the shoe gone with her. Before she left, she had promised him it would be finished. Of course, Eren understood that promises meant nothing in the face of unforeseen events, but his mother had never lied to him.

As childish as it was, Eren liked to think that the shoe was out there somewhere, finished, and just waiting for him to find it. After all, disappearance was not equivalent to death, and there was a reason that the shoe vanished along with her - right?

Sighing, Eren put away the memento, along with his wistful thoughts. He decided he needed something to pass the time, and so he pulled out his pack of sewing materials and fabric. It occurred to him that, if he continued to stay with the duke, there would be absolutely no point to making shoes.

But then again, Eren had no goddamn clue why he was here in the first place or how long he would be staying, and so he pulled the needle through the fabric once more.

~ o ~

Downstairs in the dining room, Levi continued to sit alone. His food still sat in front of him, nearly untouched, much like the dinner across the table from him. It was true that Eren's messy eating bothered him, but now that the boy was gone, Levi felt even less of a desire to eat.

It wasn't the boy's fault that he was in a horrible mood today, but Eren ended up receiving the blunt end of it, being essentially the only person that the duke came into contact with. That's why, at the sight of Eren looking so damn sad at his previous comments, Levi forced himself to throw some praise at the kid, and what do you know? His fucking face lit right up.

It almost made Levi want to compliment him again.

Almost.

But anyhow, there was no time to think of those things, because there was a more pressing issue - the issue that spurred Levi's irritation in the first place - and that was a letter that he had found at his desk, early in the morning, consisting of a single, neatly penned line:

_"How is he?"_

Such a message and in such handwriting could only be from one person, and that was the Princess Mikasa. She always seemed so far away and detached, even in her letters, but Levi knew better. She was clearly furious at the fact that Levi had taken Eren first, and had every intention to come see the boy for herself.

The real question, then, is, how soon would she come? To begin with, Levi had not expected that she would discover Eren's presence in a single day. This would have taken serious dedication (and obsession), and as such, he could expect Mikasa to visit within the week. Maybe in a few days.

And that was the part that angered Levi the most.

Eren was in no state - no state - to be presented to Mikasa, especially not when she's had such high ideals of the boy. He had been here not even a full day at that time, and that's not long enough to adjust to anything, much like to a noble estate coming from an orphanage. Eren was a quick learner (Levi grudgingly admitting), but quick has its limits, and the brat was still a brat as far as Levi was concerned.

However, Mikasa could not be stopped, and this left Levi with no choice - he needed to train the boy faster, and the way to do that was through intimidation (after today, the kid would never dare to slurp his soup again) until he was nothing but a submissive pile of clay of which every curve and corner could be molded perfectly to the duke's likings.

~ o ~

Some five miles away, a lone figure stood by the window, gazing out into the moonlight.

I wonder what the answer is like?

Footsteps from behind interrupted the train of thought. A knock on the door, then a hinge creaking.

"Your Highness, it is late. Won't you go to sleep?"

The figure did not turn. Her eyes lit up as she spotted a light in the distance, though it soon flickered, then dimmed.

"Yes. In a moment."

The door closed, and the sound of footsteps faded into nothingness.

Mikasa continued to stand there, in the silence, and in the dark. She looked at down at her hands, where she held a precious object, turning it over and over again, and tracing with her fingers the embroidery on the sides - the 'Wings of Freedom.'

~ o ~

* * *

**A/N: **Back stories and blobs of thinking. I used to think that 2k words was pretty substantial for a chapter, but looking back, it feels like nothing really happens in 2k words o n o. Oh well, chappies be short but the story will still go the same! Things will move forward from here, so hope you'll keep with me!

Also check out my new one-shot if you like fluff! Heh :D xoxo


	4. Speculation

**A/N:** If you guys are interested at all, I recently made a song-parody-tribute-to-levi/eren that ended up doing EXTREMELY (can i say that) well within the yaoi fandom... ahah 8'D There's a link to my YouTube channel in my ff profile, and you'll be able to find it from there /o/

* * *

IV

"We're cleaning today."

With those three words, a mop, and a bucket, Eren found himself scrubbing away at the estate's marble floors.

At first it wasn't even that bad; Eren was used to manual labor, considering his background. However, he inevitably heard himself grumbling and groaning when the duke - who seemed more devil than human at this point - shook his head once again as he ordered for the room to be redone.

"I promise you, Yager, that pain in your back will be significantly worse if you do not listen to my orders."

Eren, no matter how much he despised his work at the moment, did not doubt the duke's threat in the slightest. And so he kept his mouth shut, took a deep breath, and started over from the beginning. The work wasn't that bad, he tried to convince himself. Besides, he was finally able to meet some other people after an entire week of receiving nothing but close and personal attention from the intimidating man.

For instance, Eren was able to strike up some conversation with a golden haired maid named Petra in the current room. They had been making some small talk before Levi interrupted, and Eren, in his state of extreme cautiousness, waited a good five minutes before speaking up again.

"Petra... is the duke always like this?"

Petra answered with her ever-present kind smile. "You mean, so harsh on the cleaning? Yeah... We actually do this every other week. He's definitely what you would call a clean freak."

"A clean freak," Eren repeated. Seemed suitable enough. Still didn't change the fact that the man was acting like a sadistic bastard-

"But if you're thinking that the master is a cold hearted jerk," Petra continued, as if reading the brunette's mind, "I'll have to disagree. You can ask any of the workers here. We're fed well, given very generous holidays, and he truly does his best to make us feel at home. Even for you - I'm sure that, despite the threats he's said to you, he hasn't ever touched you, has he?"

Eren thought back to the times when he got on Levi's bad side and realized with a start that Petra was absolutely right. He had insulted and yelled and stared Eren down with various degrees of venom and contempt, but had yet to actually lay a finger on him.

Well, except for that one time...

"Eren? What's wrong?"

"E-eh?" Eren sputtered, quickly turning to the girl. He hadn't even realized that he had spaced out. "Oh, n-nothing! Sorry about that. And you're right. He's never done anything to harm me."

Thankfully, Petra let it go without another thought. "Nothing to apologize for! And that's great to hear. You'll grow to love master one day. I'm sure of it."

Eren grunted in response. Would he really come to feel that way? What about right now then? He certainly did not hate Levi - Eren was hardly in any position to do so. He was just confused, really, and frustrated by the fact that Levi had the power to just rip him from his previous life and dump him into a new one, and frustrated by his own ignorance at why-

"Say, Petra," Eren started, after picking up his tools, "do you know why I am here?"

"Mm?" Petra looked to him with golden eyes. "Because the master said he'd break your back if you weren't...?"

"No, no," Eren corrected, though he had to crack a smile at the statement, "I mean, why I'm here. In the estate. Living with you guys."

"Oh... No, no I don't. The master just told us that you would be a long term guest at the estate. I'm surprised to hear that even you do not know. Why don't you ask the master?"

"I see." Eren looked to the ground and resumed the scrubbing. No, he had not asked Levi - honestly, Eren was frightened to ask him anything, and he had the feeling that this was one question Levi would be extraordinarily displeased to hear. But then again... Levi had to tell him at some point, didn't he? "Yeah. That's a good idea. I'll ask him."

Petra flashed a "I'm glad I could help!" smile at the boy and the two continued working.

In the next room he was to clean, Eren met a reddish-brown haired lady with glasses who seemed a bit too excited to make his acquaintance. She was also performing strange lab-like experiments on the counter instead of cleaning, which confused the brunnette.

"So you're Eren Yager!"

Eren was not too sure how to answer to that, so he just smiled. "Yes, I am. And you are...?"

"Hanji Zoe." The woman was next to him and clutching his hands in an instant. "The residing pharmacist, and Levi's friend."

"Ah." That would explain why she was doing... whatever she was doing. Eren couldn't tell, and honestly did not want to know. "It's very nice to meet you."

"You know," Hanji began as Eren took up the mop and began to work, "Levi really doesn't like having guests over. He even kicks me out from time to time." She paused here. Eren thought she was done, but as it turns out, the woman really liked talking. Not that Eren minded too much; it kept his mind off the tedious job.

"It's rare that even one of the 30-something guestrooms are ever occupied, and if it is, it's usually the Princess. The two are second cousins, did you know? They're very close though, but very scary to see together. I hear that she's the only one who can make a scarier face than the duke." Hanji laughed as she said this. Eren raised an eyebrow.

"But anyways, it was quite a shocker to hear that Levi brought home a guest! And such a cute boy at that-" Hanji grinned as she saw Eren try to ignore her statement "-so of course, you became the talk of the estate! Some say that you tried to steal from him and now he brought you here to slowly and thoroughly punish you, others say that you rescued him from bandits and the two of you fell head over heels in love-"

Eren coughed rather loudly at the last statement. "I-... what!"

"Hey!" Hanji retorted with an exaggerated pout, "Don't blame me, it gets kind of boring just gossiping about the people inside the estate, you know!"

Eren sighed in defeat and said no more.

"So... what was it actually then? You will tell me, won't you?"

"Ah... sure," Eren replied hesitantly. Somehow, he doubted whether the lady would even be able to stop talking long enough for him to relate the tale. He was also worried that the duke would walk in on them conversing, and thus, he decided to make it short. "Basically, Duke Levi broke into my house and took me."

"Whoa! No way?" Hanji stared at Eren as if he had just said the most outrageous thing. Once again, the boy was at a loss for how to react.

"Then I must be right..." The woman mused to herself. Eren's ears perked up. Something sparkled in Hanji's eyes and she slammed one fist into the palm of the other hand. "It must have to do with Princess Mikasa!"

"The princess?!" Hanji's unexpected train of thought had Eren's full attention now.

"Yes! That girl is the only person on this planet who can make Levi do un-Levi-ish things. Eren!" She whipped her head around to face the boy. "Has Levi said anything about Mikasa to you!"

"U-Uh..." Eren thought back, all the way to their first encounter. "Yes, actually, just once... He asked me if I wanted to meet her."

"And what did you say?"

"That uh... I had never heard of the princess, nor knew her name," he admitted shamefully.

"I see." Hanji sat back in her chair and clicked her tongue. "Well, I can't blame you Eren; you came from pretty far away from what I know. But still, this fits with my hypothesis! For whatever reason, Mikasa really wants to meet you, but Levi is checking you out first! That man's always been protective of the princess, I tell you. What other reason could he have to bring you hear and treat you like a noble?"

Like a noble? Eren laughed inwardly, reflecting at how he was currently on his knees, scrubbing the floor. Then again, Levi was doing the exact same in some other part of the house, so it wasn't inaccurate. Eren knew what Hanji was talking about though - the fancy guest bedroom, the quality clothes, the private dinners with the duke.

"Well... if you say so." Needless to say however, Eren wasn't completely sold on this theory. He knew nothing of the princess, after all. Perhaps he should ask Levi if he could meet the princess; if Hanji's idea was correct, it would surely spur some reaction from the man. Furthermore, it seemed like a safer question to ask than "Why did you bring me here?" seeing that the duke himself had touched on the very same question previously.

"Yes! Still don't know what that man is hiding though..."

Just then, the door swung open with a loud _bang!_, causing Eren to nearly jump off of the ground. Only one person ever opened doors like that around the estate, and that was the duke himself.

"'Well, speak of the Devil..." Hanji said loudly, adjusting her glasses and looking over at the shorter man who just entered.

Eren scrambled around desperately, picking up his tools and desperately tried to look like he was working. He had been slacking off and he knew it, and surely Levi could see right through it as well. However, the next words were not what he expected to hear.

"Yager. Go to your room. Now."

Eren peered at eye at the older man cautiously. "Sir, I'm not quite done with this room yet-"

"Didn't you hear me!" Levi interrupted, quite forcefully. "I said to get to your room!"

Eren was still too confused at the command to do anything except stand up. Hanji must have been equally confounded about the situation, for she asked, "What's up, Levi? Something happening?"

Eren thought he saw the man's eye twitch. "Visitor..." Levi grumbled out.

"Visitor! Who, who?!" Without waiting for an answer, Hanji darted to the window, opening it and craning her neck out. When she closed the window, a large smile was painted on her face. "It's the princess!"

At this proclamation, Levi's face grew darker as Eren's eyes lit up. The princess was coming...! And yet, Levi had ordered Eren to leave. What did that mean? Regardless, now was the perfect chance to ask the question.

"Sir, may I meet the princess?"

A sharp glare that reeked of malice was soon turned upon Eren, almost making the poor brunette wish to take back his words. But no - Eren had meant the request he made, and so he stood strong, returning the duke's look with equal intensity.

"Absolutely not," Levi said flatly, though not without the faintest grin tugging on the corner of his lip. It was as if he relished in denying Eren the request. "Now if you would please, I do not wish to dirty my boot with the likes of you, especially not before meeting a guest of such importance."

Eren gritted his teeth as he suppressed a frustrated growl. Levi's answer had not satisfied him in the slightest. And what was up with that mysterious, unreadable attitude anyways? He opened his mouth to say more, but the other man cut him off.

"Yager!" He sounded almost desperate. "If you want to talk you may come speak to me later. But now is not the time."

Eren closed his mouth. That man was toying with him. For what or for who, Eren knew not, but he knew that Levi was keeping him in the dark and it suddenly pissed him off to no end. Without so much an acknowledgement to his superior, Eren pushed past the duke and stalked up angrily to his room.

~ o ~

* * *

**A/N:** Tension! ... tension. Can we call this tension? What are plot devices anyways...

Thanks for keeping with me thus far! I hope I can say that things will be getting more interesting after this!


	5. Reason for being here

**A/N:** we'll finally get some Mikasa in here! and plot development (i hope? LOL) Thanks again for reading, guys!

* * *

V

The scenario had played out better than he imagined, Levi thought as he left the room with Eren and Hanji and made his way to the main room. He didn't expect Eren to suddenly have an impulse to meet Mikasa. His original plan involved introducing Eren to the princess from afar, then denying him the opportunity to meet her in person. However, it seemed that Hanji took care of the first part already, allowing Levi to proceed to the second. Teenagers loved to be rebellious, the duke knew: tell them they can't have something and they'll fight you to the end. It put a smile on his face seeing just how well it seemed to work on Eren.

In the main room now, Levi bowed deeply as the door opened, revealing his guest, the Princess, and a few of her servants following behind.

"Mikasa," he addressed, taking a gloved hand and pressing a customary kiss to it.

"Good day to you, Levi." Mikasa's expression was as unreadable as ever as she took Levi's arm and entered the salon, where the two took their seats in front of a gently burning fireplace.

"Would you like some tea?" The question was rhetorical, seeing as servants were already setting down the the said beverage. Levi took his cup in hand, lightly blowing it before taking a sip. "How was your journey over? I hope it wasn't a burden to travel over here in the snow."

"It was fine; thank you for your concern" Mikasa replied, almost with a sarcastic undertone, "but do cut the small-talk, Levi. You know as well as I do why I am visiting today."

"Oh?" The duke looked up from his drink, eyeing the girl. He decided to play innocent. "Would you care to explain?"

"The boy, Levi."

"Ah."

Mikasa waited for more, but it seemed that Levi would not continue unless prompted. "You have him here, don't you? You took him."

"That I did, Princess. How observant of you. Have you had your men follow me around?"

"I saw you passing by the castle a week ago. You never journey to that side."

"True." Once again, Levi finished with curt response that would not propel the conversation forward. A brief silence followed as both took a drink from their tea, until Mikasa spoke again.

"I want to see him, Levi."

"No."

The answer had been given almost immediately, causing Mikasa to whip her gaze toward the other. "Levi!"

"You heard me, Mikasa. I don't want you to meet him."

The princess became visibly agitated now, and she bit on her lip to keep her frustration from spilling over. "I, as the heir of this country, order you to let me see him."

"And I, as your older relative who has your best interest in mind, deny the request."

Levi put his cup down and propped his head up on one hand. He looked over calmly at the dark-haired princess. She was angry, but she would not talk back. She never did. Powerful as she was, she respected him, and would always succumb to his words in the end.

"Why?" Mikasa asked after a few moments, after regaining control of her irritation.

Levi let out a sigh, slightly irked that the younger girl had not dropped the topic. "You wouldn't like him."

At this statement, the princess's eyes flared up again. "How do you know what I like and don't like?"

"Trust me on this Mikasa. He's not right for you."

"And what is keeping him here supposed to do?"

"Change him. It'll change him."

"Levi, I know his background. I don't care. I don't want him to change."

"Well, I do." Levi turned away at that, effectively ending the conversation. Mikasa didn't know what type of change Levi was referring to; of course he could not change Eren's background, but he could change his attitude. Especially his thoughts on the princess. But Mikasa didn't need to know. Besides, Eren already seemed to be coming along nicely - the girl could wait.

The guest stayed awhile longer, and they chatted about rather pointless topics until it was time to go. The trip to the castle was an hour long ride, and to go in the dark and cold would only be foolish. Levi bid her goodbye on the snow covered steps, and went back inside.

Dinner was served not long after, and Levi prepared himself for the talk that he had offered to Eren before the visit. However, despite the teenager's discontented expression, Eren did not mention the topic at all, and Levi just let it be.

~ o ~

Mikasa paid three more visits in the following month. Each time, Eren would ask the duke, as earnestly as possible, if he could meet the princess. Levi, however, would always reply with the same curt response: "No."

And so, Eren would trudge up to his room, and busy himself with sewing his shoes. He would also take this chance to write to Jean, recounting his life at the manor and sending his regards for Hannes and the children. Eren never received a reply, but he knew it was because sending post, for them, would be too costly.

When the princess came around for the fifth time, Eren again took out the parchment and ink, addressing the letter to his old friend:

_"Dear Jean,_

_"I hope things are still well at the orphanage. I imagine that the snow has been long gone over there; the estate is further north so the snow just cleared up this week._

_"As for me, things are still largely the same. I am fed well and housed well. I spend my free time talking with the friends I have made at the estate, and I am happy._

_"Duke Levi, as of late, has been treating me kinder. He no longer yells at me, though I cannot say that he is friendly either. The brunt of our interaction still lies with the lessons he has been giving me. Today, we worked on penmanship. Can you tell the difference in my handwriting?_

_"Despite the better relationship, Duke Levi has yet to reveal to me the reasons for my being here. As I told you before, I have suspicions that it is related to the Princess Mikasa. She is here again today, and again I have been ushered to my room (where I write you this letter.)_

_"What is different today though, is that the duke and the princess have chosen to take their meeting to the outside, in the garden. As it is, I can see them perfectly from my window. They are hard to see (for I am on the second floor,) but it is more than nothing. From here, I can see that the Princess has dark hair and fair skin, much like the duke. She is wearing light violet dress, adorned with gold jewelry._

_"I want to meet her, Jean. She and I are so far away in rank, but right now, she is so close - we are separated by nothing but glass and air. I wonder how many others in the kingdom would wish to be in my position! At first, when I came to the estate, I thought nothing of meeting the princess, and yet now, the more Duke Levi denies our meeting, the more I wish for it to take place._

_"Ah, the princess has stood up now. I wonder if they had some sort of disagreement, though one can never tell with the amount of composure that the two are able to maintain. And now, she's looking"_

Up. She was looking up. Eren paused his writing at this point to look downwards. She was scanning the building, as if looking for something - and suddenly, their eyes met.

Eren inhaled sharply. Had she seen him? It was hard to tell, far away as they were, but like Eren, the girl seemed to be frozen in place, head turned towards him. He saw Levi stand up now as well, reaching out towards her arm, but she swatted it away. She turned sharply towards the duke, and after a few words that Eren could not hear, bolted into the estate.

Eren set down his parchment hastily on the desk, though carefully as to not smear the ink. He moved away from the window and to his bed, where he sat with a nervous stiffness. What had just happened?

He could hear footsteps downstairs now - they were probably in the salon. There was Princess Mikasa's voice, as well as Duke Levi's, and they seemed to be arguing: the voices were more defined to Eren's ears than usual, but still too muffled to make out any distinct syllables. After a few back-and-forths though, the sounds finally quieted down, followed by footsteps, and the closing of a door: Princess Mikasa had left.

Immediately, Eren got up from where he sat. Every time before this, he had quietly accepted Levi's orders to not see Mikasa, but not again. There had been an undeniable significance in that look he shared with the princess, no matter how brief and how far apart they had been. He had looked into her eyes for the first time and they spoke to him, called out to him. As if they were searching for him.

Eren made his way downstairs and barged into the salon, where Levi stood, almost as if he had been waiting for the brunette.

"Why?" Eren breathed out, unable to form any coherent thoughts save for the one word. He knew that Levi understood what he meant, as he stared at the other with an unyielding gaze.

Levi broke off the stare, as he turned instead towards the window that looked out towards the garden. "I have my reasons."

"And I should know."

"Not as far as I'm concerned."

Eren growled under his breath. The uncaring attitude of the older man really pissed him off, as he tried to control his emotions. "These 'reasons' of yours concern me, and thus, I should know of them."

Levi turned back around, with a sinister glint in his eyes. "Are you defying me, Yager? Has a few weeks living inside a noble's house made you forget where you came from? Who you are? Since when have peasants been allowed to meet the princess?"

"And since when have peasants been taken away from their homes and dumped into a place like this, and been treated like a guest of honor, no less?" Eren was close to yelling. "There's a reason why I'm here, sir, and I want to know it. Maybe I am stepping out of line here, talking to a noble like this, but you know what? I don't care. This is about basic human respect, sir. I want an explanation."

Levi clicked his tongue at the brunette's comeback. Surely, those lessons on rhetoric have come in handy, and Levi could not help but feel a little bit of pride at the situation. Still, the boy's stubbornness was proving troublesome. It was the very trait that drove Eren to his current determination to meet the Princess - all according to plan - but this same characteristic would bring everything down, if Levi was forced to reveal his reasoning. This twisted plot of reverse psychology would cave in upon itself if Eren learned that, in fact, Levi wanted him to _want_ to meet the princess. The drive of adolescent rebellion would be gone, and the reward would no longer be enticing.

"I also want to know why, Duke Levi, you are so adamant on keeping me from meeting the princess."

"Eren," Levi said slowly, "you are a peasant, and orphan. Is that not reason enough?"

"No, because I was brought here for a reason. Does this have to do with Princess Mikasa?"

"I do not wish to speak of the princess."

"But I wish to know the reason!"

"Eren-"

"I want to know!" The brunette suddenly interjected, clenching his fists by his side. "Why am I here?! Why, if all I am to do is to be confined to this prison, have I been brought here?! I know this has to do with the princess; I don't know what it is, but I know it does. Am I not up to your standards? Am I not up to her standards? Well then, why didn't you just kick me out if you were so disappointed in me? Get rid of me, if you can't do anything with me! And instead, you just choose to keep me here, like a pet. Like a prisoner. Why?!"

Levi was almost caught off guard by the barrage of words that spewed from the boy's mouth, but his next words would be equally, if not more, unexpected: "...Because I like having you around."

Eren's eyes widened, momentarily shocked into silence by such a soft response.

"...What did you say?"

"That I like having you around."

The boy blinked, and somehow - for some reason - he felt all the anger and drive within him slip away. The answer explained nothing - it didn't explain why he was there, it didn't explain why he could not see Mikasa - but somehow, to his confused, swirling brain, it was enough.

"Oh."

Levi clicked his tongue again, turning back to the window. He had said the first time that came to mind, though he did not know what effect the phrase would have on the brunette boy. It was better than telling him the reason, Levi decided, and left it at that.

Little did he know, however, that the words he just told would end up undermining his whole plan.

~ o ~

* * *

**A/N:** ...aaaand we have made it to the end of pre-written chapters. Oh no! But I do have an outline done. It shouldn't be too bad :P

Tell me what you think! Thankies! xoxo


	6. I always knew

**A/N:** what have we got here? a long chapter! (well, longER, anyways! xD) I considered breaking it into two but... no, I decided it needed to happen like this! Things happen! Be excited! :D

Btw, I recently started up on tumblr: 'hamface101' for snk videos/reblogs, and 'hamwriting' for... well, writing 8D Links are in my profile, please check them out if you're interested!

* * *

VI

"Good morning, sir!" Eren chirped as he sprung into the dining room, draping an arm around the sitting duke and leaning his face on the black locks of hair.

"Yes, good morning," Levi replied. He inhaled deeply as the brunette released the half embrace and sat himself down in the seat across. "...You are in a good mood today, Yager," He said, almost teasingly.

Eren said nothing, and only smiled at the other man as his breakfast was brought to him. Poached eggs and hashbrowns, apple slices, and a glass of milk. The boy thanked the servant before taking up his fork and digging in.

It had been a month since his short - though nonetheless heated - confrontation with Levi concerning the Princess Mikasa. The words that the duke uttered back then had certainly caught Eren off guard (and clouded his mind for a good day or two afterwards,) but once he overcame the initial shock, the boy realized that, seeing as the other man was so insistent on keeping secrets from him, he could use those very words that Levi said in hopes of quelling Eren's curiosity against him.

And thus it began.

At first, he started small: Eren would keep a glowing smile on his face whenever he was around the duke, making sure that all of his words and actions were warm and friendly, simply to see what type of reaction it would draw out of the other. Levi stayed cold, but at the same time, he did nothing to repel the younger man's advances. Eren took this as a win on his part and took another step over the boundary line. He started dropping in the duke's study at unwelcome times, just to say good morning or good evening, or ask questions that certainly could have waited until a later time. Some days he would follow Levi on his daily walks in the courtyard, or insist to accompany him as he read in the library. The duke, at this point, began to question the boy on his behavior, and would tell him to get out of the way. Eren, however, always had the same comeback: "You said you liked having me around, sir."

Eren knew it was a weak response. He was sure that Levi knew it too. But every time he used it - though the duke would first glare at him darkly - Levi would let him get away with whatever it was that he was doing. Before long, Eren got his way with nearly everything.

When breakfast was done, Levi announced, "I will go for a ride around the gardens."

Eren perked up. "I'm coming along, Sir!"

A smile. "As you wish."

It was a success on his part, in some ways. It was unofficial, but Eren had power around the estate now. He had Levi, more or less, wrapped in his influence, though he could not fathom with all of his brainpower just how his shallow plans had ever worked out. This hadn't even been part of the original plan, to tell the truth. All Eren had wanted was to use Levi's careless words to take advantage of the situation, to push Levi to a limit and for him to finally admit that, no, "I like having you around" was not the reason why Eren was here, that it really was just a last minute cover up, and ok, if the damned brat would please stop getting on his nerves, he'll tell Eren the real reasoning behind this elaborate plot.

However, Levi never reached this limit. He never snapped. Instead, he retaliated in a way in a way Eren never thought was possible.

"Yager, would you like to ride on my horse with me today?"

He played Eren's game right back at him.

"S-sure! Sir," the brunette stuttered. Though this 'game' of theirs had been going on for weeks, every time the duke made a move Eren still found himself caught off guard. He couldn't help it though - it just seemed so_ unlike_ Levi - but he wouldn't be the first one to cave, either. "I'd love to."

"Of course you would." The older man turned away with a smirk.

They reached the stables now. Levi's black mare whinnied at the sight of her master, reaching out her nose to nuzzle his hand when he offered it to her. Eren briefly stopped by his horse too, a chestnut stallion Levi had entrusted to his care, petting his mane and mumbling something along the lines of, "Sorry, I won't be taking you out today."

"Get on, Eren," Levi instructed after he had saddled and lifted himself atop his horse. He offered a hand to the younger boy, which Eren took with a slight blush, and pulled him over.

Eren stared at the duke's back self-consciously as they rode out to the gardens at a slow trot. This was not the first time they rode together - maybe it was the third, or fourth - but he still could not bring himself to position his hands without first hearing the words from Levi's mouth.

"Put your arms around me, brat." - There it was.

Nervously, Eren lifted his arms up from where they lay on his legs wrapped them around the duke's torso. Levi was very lean under his clothing - almost surprisingly so - and Eren's hands could almost reach his elbow when he clasped them together.

"Hmmph."

The teenager didn't know why it was so hard for him to do this. He had no trouble breaking the boundaries in the weeks past, whether it be intruding during off-times or making comments that just bordered on inappropriate. He even had no problem this morning, bringing the other into a friendly embrace (even though socially, that was wrong on so many levels.) But why was it so different now? Was it because the duke had ordered him to do as such? Was it because they were alone?

Was it because it _no longer felt like a game?_

Eren shuddered at the last thought, subconsciously pulling himself closer to Levi and then flushing when he realized what he just did. With his nose buried in the other's neck, he could smell the fresh scent of shampoo from the morning bath that he would always take. His clothes smelled like royalty, like high-end wool, like riches and wealth - but they also smelled like him. Clean, fresh, whatever it was - and the heat rose straight to Eren's face.

They had since rode out of the gardens and into the vast, open field that bordered the estate to the north. The atmosphere was decidedly spring now, with the soft green grass that leaned ever so slightly in the occasional warm breeze. Levi broke his horse into a gallop across the terrain, smiling ever so slightly as the air rushed by his face and the two arms around his stomach tightened. He soon slowed back down to a trot once they were in the middle of the vast clearing, and then stopped completely.

Eren, eager to escaped his confused thoughts and questionable position, took this as a cue to release his grasp and and slide off the horse's back. He took a deep breath, sucking way down to the bottom of his lungs._ Get a hold of yourself!_, he scolded. He wasn't going to lose to Levi.

With a laugh, the teenager launched himself into a soft blanket of grass, still wet from the morning dew, spreading his arms and grinning up at the clear sky. He did not fail to notice the twitch in Levi's eyes as he presumably contracted an unnamed amount of dirt, grass stains, and germs onto his shirts. But he didn't care. Breathing in the relaxing scent of grass and feeling the earth beneath his fingers was wonderfully reminiscent of his previous life, one that was only a few months removed but seemed like a universe away. He didn't give a damn what Levi thought, not at a time like this - and that was the point, anyways. Piss of the duke. Get him to spill secrets. Learn the truth. Eren finally felt in control again.

The smile never left his face as he proceeded to roll and kick around, plucking stray flowers as he saw fit and tossing them into the air. "You should come and play with me, sir!" He laughed again as he said it.

Levi chuckled softly from where he sat. To Eren's surprise, the man let go of the reins and dismounted.

Just as quickly as Eren had regained his footing in his mind, he stumbled again. "Sir?" Eren started, sitting up slightly. He hadn't expected that Levi would actually listen to him. Sure, he was very lenient to the boy's demands now, but never for something like this.

"What?" Levi returned playfully, as he sat down on the grass next to the other. Eren's eyes almost shot out as he saw Levi's white pants seated against the wet grass. The duke, noticing Eren's reaction, leaned in, whispering with a smirk, "You asked me to play with you, didn't you?"

Eren bit down on his lip. Oh no, oh no... he was being outdone and he knew it. He had no comeback though, not with the other's face so close to his own blushing one anyways - "Y-yes... Yes, sir."

Levi gave a satisfied grin and tackled the other, resulting in them tumbling once or twice before stopping, the dark-haired man on top. "Is this what you meant?"

The brunette, head still spinning (whether from rolling in the grass, or the close proximity of the person he had just rolled with) did not reply, but just stared at the other. "I..."

The older man frowned, though he did not move from his position. His elbows were propped up on either side of Eren's face, legs stretched out and alternating with the other's. Half of his body weight was resting on the one below him but it was probably okay - Eren wasn't complaining.

...Eren wasn't complaining?

This could be considered harassment, without a doubt. Unwanted physical contact. For a boy who had argued so passionately for his right to know surely felt the same, or stronger, about the right to not be touched without consent, right? Levi continued to stare at the wide green eyes beneath him.

_He was blushing..._

Levi didn't mean to lean lower. It just happened because there was gravity and he couldn't stay propped up on his elbows forever. He didn't even realize how close he had gotten until he felt the boy's breath on his face - on his lips - and his nose came into contact with soft skin.

_… No._

No!

The duke quickly snapped back, pushing himself into a sitting position, off of Eren and onto the side. He breathe heavily for a second, but then regained control of himself - thank the gods for his strong sense of composure. The younger boy sat up as well, though slower, and still looking dazed.

"Surprised you didn't flinch, Yager," Levi said, turned away. He stood up before Eren could reply and whistled for his horse, who had wandered just a bit of a ways off to graze the field. She returned in a moment, and Levi mounted.

"Get on, brat. We're going back."

Not another word was spoken on the way back. He didn't even bother to tell Eren to grab on. The brunette's arms hung at his sides the whole time.

"I will go take a bath," Levi announced, after arriving back at the manor. No words, no response - no cheeky comment of "Can I come with you?" - just a silent nod of the head as acknowledgment. He was still affected by what had just happened. The duke figured as much.

Levi left the other boy as he marched to the his bedchambers, then to the adjoining bathroom. He ordered for his tub to be filled, and once the servants brought in the hot water, he tossed his dirtied clothes into the hamper and slipped in.

_What did I just do..._ the man thought, sitting lower into the tub._ I almost lost control..._ or something. Harshly - almost angrily - Levi splashed the water on his face, rubbing thoroughly with his hands, as if trying to erase, to wash away, the incident that just took place. "Aauhg!"

He reached for the bar of soap that sat nearby. He washed himself three times (as opposed to the usual two, which he had done earlier that morning) before getting out.

After drying himself and slipping into a clean set of clothes, he went to his study only to find a messenger waiting for him.

"Master - a letter for you."

Silently, Levi took the letter. The royal insignia was stamped on the wax seal.

_"Come to the castle today. -M."_

Perfect timing. He really needed to get away from his estate.

~ o ~

Levi arrived in the early afternoon. He came on his horse with just two of his guards, Erd and Gunter, instead of the whole horse-and-carriage system. He was too restless for such a slow ride.

As it turned out, the princess had not expected their arrival so soon and already had the afternoon booked. Levi frowned at this information but it was just as well; he wasn't sure how much of a mood he was in to speak with the girl, knowing that she most likely wished to discuss a topic that Levi would much rather avoid at the moment.

Without any business to attend to, Levi wandered to the castle library to find that the room was empty save for a scrawny-looking blonde who sat in the corner and looked vaguely familiar. Hearing the sound of footsteps, the boy looked to Levi with sky-blue eyes and immediately stood to bow down - "Good day, my lord!"

Levi nodded in acknowledgement. "Good day to you too."

The boy sat back down. Normally, Levi would have left it at that and went off to find a book to read, but he wanted some conversation to distract his mind. Besides, the boy had some awfully large scrolls of paper laying on the table in front of him, inciting the duke's curiosity.

"What's your name, boy?" Levi took a seat at the table, across from the other.

The blond, who had already gone back to reading, looked up again, surprised that the conversation was continued. "Armin Arlert, sir! 17 years old, cartographer."

A cartographer. Levi nodded his head. That would explain the scrolls - they were maps. And yes, now that he thought of it, he had heard the name before; he'd seen the boy once or twice when he was younger and spent most of his time at the castle, but Armin was too shy and untalkative for Levi to want to approach him. Mikasa fared better, and the two got along pretty well, if he wasn't mistaken.

The older man reached over and opened one of the scrolls. "Shiganshina District," it was titled, and below it, an unfinished map.

"Oi, hasn't this area already been mapped? It's only a few hours south of here."

"Ah, yes, you're right! It has, although..."

"Although?"

"I presume that you remember the raid that happened, seven years ago? During that time, the invaders burned of our treasured manuscripts, and our most accurate maps were gone with them. We still have maps, for sure, but no one has bothered to recreate those detailed maps. That's what I'm doing now."

Levi raised an eyebrow. The raid? Ah... that's right. He had heard about it from his mother, when she was still around (he had never known his father, who was killed in a skirmish before his birth). Levi was 15 at the time, and was away on a 6-month tour around Sina to see the world with his own eyes - and to possibly meet eligible noblemen's daughters, though that part had obviously failed.

The raid happened during the night, he heard. The intruders were after the castle's store of information, and they targeted and lit the library on fire. The only casualties were those awakened by the noise and who tried to interfere - a couple of guards, and most notably, the princess's new maid who had only been acquired some two months prior. By the time Levi returned three months later, the damage had already been repaired - that is, except for the damage it had done to Mikasa. She refused to talk to him about it, but it was obvious that she suffered from the loss of a maid who, despite the short time period, she had grown very close to.

That was also the time, Levi recalled, that Mikasa began talking about this mysterious boy with brown hair and green eyes.

"I'll be going on a trip to Shiganshima soon so that I can better investigate the terrain and record them," Armin continued. "It seems that the princess wants to come too. Say, isn't-" The blond suddenly cut himself off, as if he had second thoughts about continuing his sentence.

"Isn't what?" Levi demanded. He never liked indecisiveness.

Armin looked down before slowly finishing the thought. "Isn't... isn't Shiganshima the hometown of the boy that Princess Mikasa had been searching for? ...Eren?"

Levi had been fine - uncomfortable, but fine - during the entirety of the sentence, up until the name was uttered at the end. Suddenly, all the memories of that morning flew back at him, filling up his brain and chest so much that for a second, he thought he would suffocate.

"Yes... that's right," he managed to reply. He looked away and stood up, effectively ending the talk. _So much for a relaxing conversation_, he thought bitterly, as he walked out of the library and down the hallway.

After a good amount of wandering the castle, dinner time finally came around, and Levi was at last able to see the one he meant to visit.

"It's nice of you to come over," Mikasa said rather coldly, eyes gazing at the one across from her, as the appetizers were served on silver platters. "Especially after ignoring a month's worth of correspondence."

Levi grunted in response. It was true: he had refused to answer any and all of Mikasa's letters inquiring about the guest at his estate. He felt almost ashamed to break the trend by coming today, but he needed it. He needed the time away. "It's good to see you too, Mikasa."

"I apologize for being unable to attend to you this afternoon." She cut at the vegetables on her plate, bringing up a small piece of her lips, as a princess should. "What did you do to entertain yourself?"

Levi scoffed, lightening the mood. "What are we, still kids? I've been around enough that you don't need to be with me every moment I'm here." He paused to eat before answering. "I went to the library and saw Armin there. He said he is going to Shiganshima, and that you plan to go with him."

"Yes," the princess replied, wiping the corner of her lips with her napkin. "I do plan to go. I also plan to take Eren with me."

Levi exhaled sharply at the last comment._ No,_ he said to himself,_ forget this morning_. He set down his fork. "And what makes you so sure that you will be able to accomplish that?"

"I don't know," she said, almost nonchalantly. "But it's been nearly three months, Levi. Don't you think I have been patient enough?"

"Patient, my ass," the duke grumbled, thinking back to her persistent visits and inquiries. But he did have to admit, he was surprised that things had lasted for as long as they did without Mikasa taking some extreme measure.

"Unless..." Mikasa looked down at her food and moved it a bit with her fork, "is there some other reason you are keeping him from me, Levi?"

Levi's eyes narrowed. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Oh, I don't know, but you seem awfully adamant about keeping Eren to yourself."

The man winced upon hearing the name again. He realized his heartbeat had quickened, despite his efforts to keep calm. "I have no idea what you are insinuating, princess."

"But I think you do." The black-haired girl had set down her utensils as well at this point. "Tell me, sir, why you have kept Eren for as long as you have, and more importantly, what you have been doing with him."

Levi almost sneered at the comment. "The way you say that, it almost seems like you are suggesting a relationship between the two of us."

"I am!" Mikasa did not yell the words, but her voice suddenly rose to a level above her normal subdued tone. "Do you like Eren? Is that it?!"

"Mikasa..." Levi growled, darkening at her accusations. He had not expected this type of response, and he realized that he had taken a misstep with his previous words.

"Deny it, if you can!"

_That's right_... all he had to do was deny it. A simple word. One syllable. And yet all Levi could manage to say was, "Mikasa, I don't see why-"

"Forget it," the princess cut in, palm hitting the table as she grabbed her fork again and resumed eating, slipping back into her princessly composure that came about with years of practice. But not without mumbling some last words:

"...I always knew you were-"

Levi slammed his fists on the tablet as he rose to his feet. "That's enough, Princess." Without so much as another word, the duke turned around and stormed out of the room.

"Erd, Gunter - We're leaving." The two guards, eating in the mess hall, looked at their master with puzzled expressions - are we really leaving even though the sun has already gone down? - but did not question him as they retrieved their horses and set out from the castle.

~ o ~

Back at the estate, Eren, who had been dazed and cloudy minded all day, sat alone in the salon, gazing into the softly burning fireplace. After the incident this morning, Levi suddenly decided to leave for the castle. Eren didn't know when the duke was coming back. Hell, he didn't even know the duke was going until he had already left.

And maybe that shouldn't be upsetting - the man was in no way obligated to let Eren know every one of his plans - but it was. It made Eren feel neglected, overlooked. Especially after what happened that morning... whatever that was, anyways.

Petra caught him earlier, during lunch. Levi wasn't around, so the brunette decided to dine in the mess hall with the rest of the estate's residents. The golden haired lady saw him looking out of it and asked if anything was the matter.

"I don't know," Eren had replied. It was the worst answer and the perfect answer at the same time, because truly, he didn't know.

Thankfully, Petra, the kind soul she was, did not ask further. "If you're wondering about the master, I heard he got summoned by the princess. That's why he left so suddenly."

Hearing that made Eren feel slightly better, as did Petra's caring way of telling him. He smiled and thanked the other lady.

He then bumped into Hanji who, despite her questionable interest in the situation and Eren's mood at the time, managed to get the teenager to spill all the details of what caused him so much trouble. Her face tightened into a contemplative look at the end of it all, and for a second, Eren thought that she would have some profound conclusion to share with him - that is, until she broke into a wide grin and smacked him on the back.

"It'll be okay soon! Just you see!"

Nevertheless, Eren thanked Hanji for listening and retreated quietly to somewhere he could sit and think alone.

That place ended up being the salon which (ironically) was meant to be a social room, but was quiet and isolated when Levi wasn't around. He sat there for the rest of the afternoon, missing dinner, and now, late into the night. Eren found himself almost nodding off when suddenly...

_Slam!_

The sound from the front door alerted the teenager and his green eyes snapped open. Footsteps increased in volume until they entered the room, and Eren whipped his head around to greet the person who had entered - "Sir!"

Indeed, it was Levi, with his two guards standing at his tail. He looked in Eren's direction, though he did not look at his eyes. His face had an inscrutable look of irritation and anger as if he could hit the boy right then and there. Eren cringed at the thought, even going as far as to bring an elbow in front of himself defensively.

But of course, the duke did not hit him. He spoke:

"Get your shit packed up tonight, Yager. You're going to the castle tomorrow."

~ o ~

* * *

**A/N:** whew! things are happening, finally! :D

Recently I've been doing a lot of, well, studying other people's writing, trying to get a hang of what works and what doesn't. So far, I'm much happier with how this chapter turned out than the others. Let me know what you thought! (: xoxo


	7. It's not your fault

**A/N:** I was so happy about the feedback on the previous chapter that I was super excited to type this one, and though I expected it to not be as long chapter 6, it turned out... longer... 8'D Which may not be a bad thing, in fact, I'm even happier with how this chapter turned out, but my freaking ocd is catching up with me and the uneven chapter lengths ARE KILLING ME. SCREAMSSSS. Gosh, I am so tempted to go back and mess around with the previous chapters, but then it would just mess with people's ability to review... murpity. I think I will just continue as is, and once the story is done, I'll figure out what I want to do with it.

On another note - I'm pretty sure I've replied to all signed reviews, but for those guest/anon reviewers, I want to send a big thank you as well! You guys make my day with your kind words (:

* * *

VII

The next morning, Eren was up even before the sun had risen. His anxiety and confusion had kept sleep at bay for the majority of the night, but some time in the wee hours of the morning he had drifted away, only to awaken a few hours later. Groggy and frustrated at the lack of sleep, Eren soaked himself in a bath than the night-and-early-morning shift servants were kind enough to prepare for him. He sat there until his fingers were wrinkled, at which time he dressed himself and sat back on his bed.

The suitcase that Levi provided for him lay on the ground by his feet. With nothing else to do, Eren picked it up and set it on his bed. It was a rectangular case, with metal plated corners and leather casing. He flipped it open, to check what he had packed, though the contents were simple. The majority of the space was filled by clothes that the duke had provided him with, and stuffed away in the corner were the belongings that came from his home. There was, of course, the shoe, tucked between the fabrics, and then his little pack of sewing tools. Eren took that out and unzipped it. How long had it been since he used these? Ever since he started getting closer to the duke, he had neglected his hobby. The most recent stitch he made was perhaps three, four weeks old. He had never gone that long without using the needles, he realized with a sting of guilt - he had really lost himself in the weeks past.

The sun hadn't quite risen yet, but it was getting bright enough to see. Eren estimated that he had another half hour before he would be ushered downstairs for breakfast, and so, setting the rest of the suitcase aside, the brunette took the needle and thread into his hands. On his third try, he threaded the needle, and picked up a half-finished project that he had been working on. Inspecting the previous stitches, he realized that he didn't quite remember the pattern he had it mind, but no matter. One idea was as good as another.

With each stitch, Eren gradually felt more at peace with himself. The small callouses on his fingers - though softened from the period of rest - were in use one more, as he pushed the needle through the fabric again, again. He felt like he was back at the orphanage, back in the life of a peasant. Back in his own self.

_Who are you? - Eren Yager._

_Where are you from? - Shiganshima._

_Who are your most important people? - Jean, my best friend. And Hannes. They saved me._

_Where are you now? - At the Duke of Maria's estate._

_Why? - I don't know._

_What are you doing today? - Going to the castle. I'm meeting the princess._

Eren tied off a knot and cut the string. That's right... he was finally going to see the princess. A once far off figure who was now only a few hours away. It was so surreal, that one twist in his life would bring about so much change. And yes: one twist, because if he just closed his eyes, squeezed them shut until the light no longer shone through, he could pretend that the last one, two months never existed, that he had never spent the time that he did with the duke, that today was just like the first day of arrival, and suddenly - everything was so much simpler.

Everything seemed to fall into place.

The boy put away his things now; the first direct ray of sunlight made its way into his room and it was time to go downstairs. Before he reached the dining room, Eren bumped into the two guards that accompanied Levi the night before.

"We're escorting you there today," Erd said. "You should grab a bite in the mess hall and meet us by the stables when you are ready."

Eren complied, and after finishing a plate of scrambled eggs, headed outside. He noted with a twinge of disappointment that Levi had not bothered to see him off, but he shook off the feeling. After the cold confrontation the night before, it was only to be expected. And besides, there was no reason to dwell on it now.

Arriving at the stables to pick up his horse, Eren found Petra and another man - Auruo - saddling their horses as well. "We're getting a few days off," the lady explained cheerfully. "So we're coming along!"

Auruo turned out to be quite the talker, supplying most of the group's chatter as they travelled. He seemed intent on divulging all his knowledge about the castle to Eren, and though the boy was slightly overwhelmed, he listened carefully, finding it a pleasant alternative to giving into his own nervous mind at the thought of the upcoming event.

"So the Ackerman's, that's the royal family. King's a Aryan man, married one of the last Orientals - a true beauty. Of course, that means that the Princess is mixed and got the best of both worlds. The king and queen are widely known to love travel so I doubt you'll see either of them on your stay here. The princess can hold her own though; whether in politics or fistfights. She's a genius. She used to be such a lively child, but now she's very serious; rumor has it that the castle raid seven years ago left a mark on her since one of her favorite servants died, but personally I think she's just grown up, and into a formidable lady, at that. You better watch yourself around her. She's a lot like Master Levi since the two grew up together, though honestly she's much more outwardly appe-augh!" Auruo stopped abruptly as he accidentally bit his tongue.

Eren's eyes were wide with concern at the man, but Petra turned towards him with a disciplining look. "Stop talking so much, Auruo, and pay attention to the road!"

By and by, the group reached a withdrawn drawbridge that led to the castletown. A sentry stood at the gate, granting them access after Erd spoke a few words with him and presented a note. The drawbridge was let down, and the five entered.

Eren forgot all of his potential anxiety the moment their horses stepped into the castletown, and instead, his face was rewritten with intrigue at the people and buildings around him. All his life, he had lived in small, rural villages; never before had he seen so many houses in such close proximity, built so tall, and with so many people walking the streets around them.

Auruo found this as another opportunity to share his knowledge. "There are three entrances to this castletown and we came in from the east. Lots of merchants like to line those entryways. More traffic flow. As we keep going, we get into a richer part of town, so you'll see those formal storefronts and whatnot. Clothes, weaponry - it's all there. If you go down these smaller passageways to the sides, you'll get to the residential areas, but don't go there at night 'cause it can get shady. Better have some form of protection on you if you do go. The better-off people live in the northern district, closer to the castle. That's where you want to be if you're ever out wandering, especially for a scrawny brat like you. The town square is just ahead an- ow! -d... yeah… you'll see."

Eren narrowed his eyes a bit at the remark, but he nodded, taking in the information. Everything was so new; so different. He wondered if his parents had ever seen anything like this... He wondered if Jean had ever seen anything like this. He couldn't have, Eren knew, seeing as the other also grew up in a small village and had not traveled since being taken into the orphanage._ I'll definitely bring him here someday_, Eren decided.

They reached the town square that Auruo mentioned, and Eren saw that merchants had stalls set up all around, and the air buzzed of a lively marketplace. They happened to pass very closely by a certain stall, where the owner called out, "Free samples! Steamed potatoes! Hey you - young master! Would you care for a sample?"

Eren turned around, surprised that he was being addressed. "Me?"

"Yes, you!" A brown haired girl peered up at him from behind her produce. "Would you like to try a bite?"

The teenager glanced at his escorts. "Go ahead," Gunter said.

Eren turned back to the lady and held out a hand. "Thank you very much," he said, as she placed a piece of potato wrapped in paper in his hand. Eren straightened up on his horse and unrolled the wrap, but before he could take a bite, she called out to him again.

"Hey - you look familiar!"

Eren stopped and looked to her with a confused expression. "...Me?" He asked again.

"Yeah!" She focused her sandy colored eyes at him, craning her neck out further from behind the stall. "You look like this nice lady from the castle I used to see."

The boy raised his hand in denial. "No, you must be mistaken. I'm not from around here."

"Oh... is that so?" The girl looked disappointed. "But you really do look just like her - Unless... No, no. You're right. I must be mistaken. I apologize!"

"It's not a problem." Eren waved it off. "Good day to you, miss."

Finally, after weaving through the crowd, the group arrived at the gates to the castle. Standing at the foot of the massive wooden door, Eren suddenly felt his body give into nervous tension.

Erd approached the two soldiers who were standing guard. "We are guests of the princess," he stated. "We are escorts for Eren Yager." The soldiers nodded, and one of them headed inside the gate. A minute later he returned, and the doors were heaved open to allow entrance.

Eren licked his lips that had suddenly gone dry as they crossed the threshold onto castle grounds. Servants had been sent out to meet them; from far away, Eren could already spot the raven-haired princess, standing at the doorway of the castle on the other side of the front courtyard and his heart skipped a beat. The brunette almost stumbled as he dismounted, anxious and distracted as he was from Mikasa's presence. Their horses were led away, and Eren, in the middle of the other four, approached where the princess stood.

_She's here_, Eren thought as they advanced closer. He couldn't believe his eyes. The princess..._ the princess_! His head spun at the thought that this person - this woman - whom he had yearned to meet for so long was now standing before him, grandly, magnificently, beautifully.

"Your highness," the others addressed in unison, descending to one knee. Eren followed suit, though his mouth was too dry to utter a greeting. He lowered his eyes to the ground.

"Good day to you. Please, stand up." Her voice was smooth and controlled as she spoke, just like a princess ought to sound.

Eren's eyes were still cast downwards as he straightened himself; it wasn't that he didn't want to look, but rather, he was afraid. She was so close, only a few feet in front of him, and Eren's breath hitched in his throat because even though he wasn't looking at her, she was most definitely staring straight at him.

"It's good to see you again - Gunter, Erd, Auruo, Petra," Mikasa said, nodding at each of them. "...And, it is very nice to meet you… Eren."

The brunette's head finally jerked up at the sound of his own name. "Y-yes!" He stammered, green eyes meeting the princess's, though his vision did not focus immediately. "It's a pleasure to meet you, your Highness!"

Mikasa's cherry lips curved into a small smile, and it was then that Eren finally found the will to look, to really look, at her. She was every bit as beautiful - or more - as Eren had heard her to be and as he had imagined based on the far-off view he'd caught that one time, so many weeks ago. She was like a doll, or maybe an idol would be a better comparison, because at that moment, that was what she seemed like - a human manifestation of a goddess, with flawless porcelain skin, midnight black locks that hung to her shoulders, a delicate yet defined nose that came to a point right above a pair of small, red lips that were now moving as she spoke: "I hope you had a peaceful journey over. Please come in."

She led the visitors inside, occasionally glancing backwards with those full, feathered eyelashes that shadowed her dark eyes. Eren couldn't tell how much of her appearance was make-up or how much was natural, but in the end it really didn't matter because even with no regard to her outward beauty, there was something more that made her feel like a higher being - it was in the way carried herself, the way she walked with her head high and her back straight, the way her expression was so calm and serene throughout it call, and the way she held her hands in front of her, interlaced at waist level, as her heels clicked and echoed against the marble floors. Eren realized, with a dry swallow, that she was someone who grew up like this, raised under the standards of nobility, and that in comparison, his hastily developed manners could never match up, and he just hoped with a firm squeeze of his eyes, that he would not make a fool of himself.

Along the way to wherever they were headed, the other four members of the party split and went their own ways; Eren was curious but figured that, since the others had been here before, knew what they were doing. They were in an empty hallway (people-wise, because though it was a hallway, the walls were still lavishly decorated with wallpapers and paintings, and the sides lined by the occasional flower arrangement atop intricately carved stands), when Mikasa came to a sudden halt. Eren stopped behind her, wondering what the matter was until the princess turned around, looking at him with an expression somewhere between happiness and wistfulness.

"I am so happy that you're here," were the words she said, softly.

"I..." For a moment, Eren forgot to breathe as he stared back at her eyes. They glistened as they fluttered from one angle to another, as if she were tracing his face, his every feature. "I'm happy to be here too," he said, and she smiled, wider than last time when there were others around. The corners of her eyes were red, Eren realized, and he thought that maybe there was something pooling at the bottom, but before he could take a closer look, she had turned away.

"I bet you're hungry!" Mikasa said, voice suddenly a shade brighter than before.

Eren, so focused on the prospect of finally coming to the castle, had failed to notice that he was ready for some food after the trip. "Y-yes!"

"Let's have lunch then," the girl replied. She faced Eren once more, and any traces of tears that had been in her eyes were fully gone, making Eren wonder if he had just imagined the whole thing.

~ o ~

Lunch was grand, even grander than they had been at Levi's place. Petra and the others did not join them, so inside the extravagant dining hall was just Mikasa and Eren, seated at the end of the table and one seat to the left, respectively. The meal passed largely in silence, mainly because Mikasa would only speak after dabbing the corners of her mouth with her napkin, and Eren, as the guest, was too intimidated to initiate conversation. In some ways, Eren suspected Mikasa to be just as nervous as him, with all the evidence pointing towards the fact that she had wanted to make his acquaintance just as much as he wanted to make hers. For what reason, Eren still could not fathom, but he figured that everything would clear up eventually.

"Your Highness-"

"Mikasa," she interjected hastily, almost surprising herself, even. "You can call me Mikasa."

"A-ah… Okay." Eren gulped before he began again. "Mi...Mikasa," he started slowly and he saw the girl nod encouragingly out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes?"

But the unexpected request to switch to such a familiar form of address wrecked Eren's train of thought. "I- augh, I uh… I forgot."

The princess laughed lightly, raising a slender hand to cover her lips. "Alright then." Even though her smile was hidden, mirth could still be seen in the way that her her eyes crinkled into little lines at the corners, making Eren flush just ever so slightly and turn away. It was still too surreal for him.

After lunch, they took a walk around the castle courtyards. It was another work of art, with the intricately designed brushes and wide array of flowers; it was reminiscent of the one at Levi's estate but Eren tried not to think of it. Mikasa, at this time, asked about Eren's childhood, and so he started relating his story. He came from a lower-middle class family, he told her. His father was a local doctor and his mother and seamstress. They lived comfortably until he was ten, when his mother was taken away.

"Taken away…?" Mikasa's expression seemed to darken. "How… how was she taken away?"

"Well," Eren thought back, "I was out playing at the time so I'm not sure what happened in the beginning. But when I got home, there were soldiers standing inside the house, and two were right behind my mom as she was packing her bags. I remember being very confused and angered by the sight of unfamiliar people in our house, and I ran towards my mom, yelling for an explanation, but I was blocked by a soldier. He didn't let me get close to her. I started crying, and I'm pretty sure my mom was too. She said to me, 'I love you, Eren. Be good.' And then they took her away."

"Is that so…" Mikasa looked away, so that Eren could not see either of her eyes. "That's horrible… I'm very sorry."

"It's okay, your High-ah- Mikasa…" Eren was still jumpy about using her name. "There's no need to apologize. It's not your fault."

Mikasa turned to him sharply, eyes wide and lips slightly apart as if she wanted to say something.

"Mi- Mikasa? Is something wrong?"

There was another moment of silence before Mikasa finally closed her lips. She swallowed, before replying: "Nothing. It's nothing."

Eren nodded slowly. He didn't know enough about the princess to judge her actions - he knew barely anything, really, except the fact that she was the same age as him, same height (but taller in heels, and he took this as a hit to his own ego), and right next to him, as unbelievable as it still was. Perhaps she had had bad experiences with soldiers too, he reasoned, but then it made little sense because she was the princess and the soldiers were under her command. Wait - that must be the reason then.

"Could it be that… you feel guilty that those with power would abuse it?" Mikasa said nothing. "But it had nothing to do with you, so it's not your fault, really."

Mikasa turned to him, with a strange and unreadable expression at first, but then it softened. "Yeah. You're right. Thank you."

Eren returned the notion with the best smile he could manage, and the topic was dropped. A few moments later, Mikasa suddenly stated, "What do you think of going into town today?"

Eren perked up at the idea. Earlier, as they had been making their way to the castle, he had wished that he had more time to explore the area, and now he would have the chance to do so. He nodded eagerly. "I'd love to!"

"Then that's set." They had made a full round at this point, and arrived back at the castle's interior. "Please excuse me as I get ready. Meet me in the front, alright?"

~ o ~

Half an hour later, the two had left the castle and found themselves in the middle of the town square. Mikasa was dressed in a simple gown, pink with a square neckline and cropped sleeves, but the sash at the waist and the patterns that decorated the skirt clearly marked her for who she was. Eren had half expected her to go in a disguise (isn't that what all the princesses in those stories usually did when going out in public?), but this made sense too.

"The townspeople are nice, for the most part," Mikasa had explained. "And besides, this is a free ticket to the front of the line. Things can get crowded in the afternoon, you know." Eren himself was dressed in a very casual button-down shirt with suspenders and brown slacks, with nothing to denote his position in society (which he didn't have in the first place, so it was probably suiting,) but when he asked Mikasa whether he should switch to something more noblemanly, she waved it off. "It's fine."

And it was; though the townspeople bowed and made way for their princess, there was no slander or insult or (god forbid) rotten fruit thrown at the fact that she was walking with a commoner, and Eren breathed out a sigh of relief. _The people really were nice_. And then, with a laugh -_ I hope there's no madman in the crowd trying to attack us!_ But Eren thought back to when Auruo told him how the princess was skilled at fighting._ I wonder what that's like_, he thought, scanning Mikasa's build. She was slim, but it didn't mean that she couldn't be well-built. He wanted to find out, but of course, he didn't wish for her to be involved in a fight either. Maybe he'd ask her to demonstrate later - if that was at all appropriate.

Soon, they arrived in front of a stand that seemed all too familiar. _Ah, it's the potato girl!_ Eren remembered, as he caught sight of the girl behind the stand.

"Your Highness! Princess Mikasa!" The girl waved eagerly from where she stood, surprising Eren.

"Sasha!" Mikasa greeted, walking up to the other. Now in front of the stand, the girl - Sasha - saw Eren.

"Hey! It's you too!"

"You know him?" Mikasa asked quickly, eyes darting to the boy.

"Yeah, I saw him this morning. I didn't expect that he'd be a guest of yours!" Sasha shot a big grin at him and stuck out a hand. "Sasha Braus! Nice to make your acquaintance!"

"I'm Er-"

"That's Eren," Mikasa cut in. "He's from the Shiganshima district, so he's coming along with Armin and me when we go there tomorrow."

"I see! That's great!"

Eren however, was stuck on Mikasa's words. "We're going to Shiganshima...?" He did not know they were travelling.

"Yes - I apologize, I forgot to tell you earlier. Remind me to give you the details later, okay?" Mikasa said this in a hushed whisper, and Eren nodded.

At this time, Sasha pulled Mikasa in for a word. "Hey, your Highness, I noticed this the first time I saw him, but don't you think he looks really familiar? He said - and you said -that he's not from around here, but really, he looks so… hm..."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mikasa replied flatly, not even bothering to look back at the boy.

"Are you sure? But Eren-"

Eren perked up at the sound of his name. The girls had been talking softly, so he hadn't heard their words over the crowd. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Mikasa answered, with a sudden air of calmness. "Sasha was just asking me if I could deliver a love letter to one of our castle guards, and when I said no, she asked if you would."

"W-What! Your Highness!" Sasha was visibly flustered at this statement. "Connie and I are friends! Friends!"

Mikasa smirked at the fact that Sasha had taken the initiative to supply the name. "Yes. Sure."

Eren broke into a laugh, nervously on Sasha's behalf, but genuinely inside; he didn't know that Mikasa had such a teasing side to her, but he liked it.

They left Sasha's stand after that, and Eren, in an attempt to make more conversation as well as satisfy his own curiosity, asked, "So what's this deal with Connie?"

"Connie's a castle guard, as you heard," Mikasa explained. "See, Sasha's family provides a lot of the potatoes that we eat at the castle. She comes to deliver them every week, and that's how they - how all of us - met."

"So that's how it is." That would explain Sasha's boldness in addressing Mikasa in a crowd. "Are you playing matchmaker with them?"

"Of course."

Eren laughed again, although Mikasa kept a straight face with her reply. "What about you? Do you get set up a lot? I mean, you're a princess, and I don't really know how it works…" Eren trailed off, realizing that he may or may not have introduced a touchy subject.

"More like, someone refuses to set me up…" Mikasa mumbled. "That damned Levi… I don't even want to think of him."

Eren hardly caught her words, but heard the familiar name in her sentence and tensed up. Mikasa said she didn't want to think of him, and neither did Eren.

They hung around the town square for another while, before the sun started to set. "I know of a place for dinner," Mikasa said. "I hope you do not mind that we are eating out?"

Eren, of course, shook his head. "Not at all!"

The place they went to - to Eren's surprise - was not rich and uppity, though that was not to say that it wasn't fancy. A singer sang to live piano backing while the lights were just a little dim, providing a relaxing and - dare he think it? - romantic atmosphere.

"Look who's here!" Their waitress exclaimed, as they were seated. She was a tall, lanky female, with freckles scattered across her cheeks and black hair tied in a ponytail. "Welcome, my lovely princess."

"Good to see you too, Ymir." Then, feeling the taller female's gaze on her partner, Mikasa introduced, "This is Eren. A guest at the castle."

"He's a cutie." Ymir winked at Mikasa. Mikasa glared at her, and Eren flushed at the comment. "Not as cute as my Christa though."

Their table was off to one side, but close enough to the window that they could see outside. The restaurant was on the second story, and it overlooked the town square, which, though it was nighttime, was lit up by lights from lanterns around it. Conversation was sparse as they ate, mainly because it was hard to hear over the music and the buzz of the others in the restaurant, but Eren was able to ask about the trip to Shiganshima Mikasa had mentioned earlier.

"Ah - that. One of our cartographers, Armin, wants to make a trip there to flesh out his maps. I've been wanting to take a break from the castle, so I thought it to be a good opportunity. And you - you're a native there; surely you wouldn't mind accompanying us? I apologize that I did not ask you sooner."

"That's okay," Eren replied. But then he blurted out, "How do you know that about me though? Where I'm from?"

Mikasa looked as if she did not except that question, and averted her gaze when she answered. "Levi told me."

Eren frowned. He didn't want to hear Levi's name, first of all. And second, it felt like the princess was hiding secrets too - secrets that she wasn't willing to spill.

Eren didn't push the conversation further, and once dinner was finished, they left the restaurant. The streets had gotten a little chilly at this point. He wanted to ask Mikasa if she was okay, but he stopped when he realized that he didn't have anything on him to offer to her. To his relief, she stretched her arms out and said, "Ah… feels nice out here." Then she looked to him. "Hey, there's one more shop I want to go to, before we head back. Is that okay?"

Eren's answer was the same as always. "Of course."

The place turned out to be a fabric shop, hidden away in one of the darker streets that (Eren remembered with a hint of guilt,) Auruo warned not to go to at night. He wondered why Mikasa would come to a fabric shop, and more so, why it was in such a neighborhood. However, Mikasa seemed to know what she was doing, and Eren didn't ask. He did, however, ask her about why they were there.

"Do you sew…?"

"Yes." She answered it easily, although Eren was a bit surprised at the answer.

"What do you sew?"

"Shoes."

This one completely caught him off guard. "I do too," He said, amazed at the coincidence. But then Eren wondered, suddenly, if Mikasa had said that just because he also sewed shoes; he didn't even know if she knew, but he suspected that he did, but then again, why would she in the first place? - and then it got too confusing again and Eren decided to just let it go. As Mikasa was thumbing through the fabrics, Eren caught sight of the thread section. "I'll be looking over here."

By the time Eren got what he wanted - he had been running low on a few colors, and he had to admit that the things he saw were very nice quality - he noticed that Mikasa had already left the shop. "Mikasa?" He called out, taking a step outside into the dark. Auruo was right, he realized with a shiver; in these parts of town, it was very shady; not only in the fact that there were hardly any streetlights, but the ground was littered, too, with the can that clanked as it rolled in the wind, and the paper bag that crinkled and masked the sounds of footsteps, if there were any.

"Mikasa?" Again, no answer. Eren took another step, and another, until faintly, in the distance, he heard the sound of fists, and grunting. He inhaled sharply. "Mikasa!" Suddenly filled with panic, Eren dashed towards the source of the sound and found himself facing down an alleyway, where he saw a silhouette just as it threw a punch towards another figure. "Hey-!"

"Ah... Eren." The silhouette in the center - the only one still standing - approached him, and took his hand. "Sorry you had to see that. I couldn't help but notice them when we were in the shop…"

But Eren was hardly listening. His mouth was fully agape. He had wanted to witness Mikasa's strength, and here was the proof. He hardly knew what to say. _Did you really just take them on? How did you notice them in the first place? You weren't scared to fight them? And you only used your fists?_ Eren could have said any number of things, but instead, all that came out was, "A-are you okay?"

Mikasa smiled at him. She didn't answer; she didn't need to. The answer was more than obvious, with her hair and dress that were still in perfect condition and the four unconscious bodies that lay on the ground.

~ o ~

It was late when Eren and Mikasa returned to the castle; and while Eren used to have a curfew as a child and would get scolded by his mother when he stumbled home past the dictated time, he did not expect, in the slightest, that the moment he stepped foot inside the castle's salon, an angry Petra would come and grab him by the shoulders, nearly screaming in his face as she scolded him.

"Eren! Why were you out so late?! Gunter and Erd - they were out in town - said they saw you and Mikasa go into that dangerous part of town, and we tried to go find you and we searched and searched but couldn't-! Oh but thank goodness the both of you are okay - you look fine, I really hope you're fine - otherwise Levi would have our heads..."

_...What? Have their heads?_ Eren looked at the other three people who had accompanied him, and who were currently sitting in the salon, but their faces said nothing. He wanted to ask, but Mikasa beat him to it.

"What is the meaning of that?" She spat, and immediately Petra loosened her grip, eyes turning to the princess as she recoiled a bit. "Did… did Levi send you all here under orders to keep an eye on Eren?"

Eren's mouth dropped slightly. "But Petra - you said you were on vacation..."

Petra, realizing that she was caught, smiled back meekly. "...Paid vacation…?"

But Mikasa would not have it. "That's bullshit." Eren felt himself flinch at the princess's usage of profanity. She paced a few steps, before stopping at the doorway, back turned to the room. "You four are all dismissed. You may stay the night, but in the morning, I expect your bags to be packed."

Petra let out a small gasp. "But your Highness-"

"That is all!" Mikasa declared. She looked back at the group, and no one said a word. "Good night."

~ o ~

* * *

**A/N:** because badass!Mikasa is a must. Always.

Thanks for reading! xoxo


	8. Give and take

**A/N:** Hi everyone! So sorry for the delay in posting this chapter; all last week was college orientation so I hardly had time to settle down. The first part of this chapter was really hard to write for some reason, but the next 4k words flowed out easily enough yesterday and today, so I was relieved, haha :D

Another thing I wanted to address, (big blurb of rambling here,) there was a review posted on chapter 5 questioning the relationship between Levi and Eren so I thought about it for a LONG time and wanted to attempt to clear it up a bit, because I'm sure there are more of you out there thinking the same thing.

First of all, for Chapters 1-5, Levi does _NOT_ love Eren in any way, even _like_ is questionable. Remember; Levi just being an overprotective older-brother figure for Mikasa, and that's the sole motivation for his interaction with Eren. He sees Eren as unworthy, but he knows that Mikasa is stubborn, and thus tries to change Eren into someone who he believes will be good for her.

It's not until Chapter 6, with the time skip, that we see a relationship progressing. At that point, Eren has progressed beyond being obidient to everything that Levi says, because he is angry with his situation and wants to get a reaction out of the other. However, it doesn't go as planned because Levi ends up reacting positively to this new side of Eren, and that's when Levi starts to get confused regarding how he feels towards the other. Eren is confused as well, not sure if what he feels is still respect (and fear) of the other, or something romantic (heh.) We have a pause now on the development because, obviously, Levi is temporarily out of the picture, but there will be more to come later that will hopefully wrap things up a bit nicer!

So yeah, that's my blurb on the subject. Please try to understand that this is my first time trying to portray a relationship from beginning to end, seeing as up to this point, I've solely been writing one-shots and drabbles. I'm trying very hard to keep things in character and I realize things aren't always, well, great, so if you have questions or opinions please let me know! I guess I'm sensitive, but I try my best to take critique and work with it because in the end, I just want to improve.

Also, I hope you won't be upset with the ending that I have in mind for this because, I'm indecisive enough as it is, but I think I'm happy with what I have planned so far. I'm writing this for you guys but I'm also writing this for myself, so I hope you'll support me whichever way I decide to take it! Remember, if you don't like, you can always opt to not read :P

So, thank you! And I hope you enjoy this chapter! (:

* * *

VIII

_"It's not your fault."_

_"It's not your fault."_

Those were the very words that she had said to Mikasa: once upon their first meeting, and again in their last minutes together.

Mikasa had always known that, as a princess, she was powerful; she was raised as a noble should be raised, and that was with the notion that she was higher than everyone, that she would never be the one to bow down but always the one bowed too. Anything she wanted, she could have; no one argued with her; and she could play with anyone she wanted though they weren't so much friends as they were acquaintances who felt obliged to serve her wants. But in the end, she was still just a girl, dressed in clothes too fancy for her mind, and it wasn't until the day she uttered "I want to have a maid who can make pretty shoes" and the next day when a new woman was actually brought before her that Mikasa realized just how much authority she held.

Her eyes had widened as wide as a ten-year-old's eyes could, when she first saw the woman, disheveled and forced onto her knees. Mikasa opened her mouth, wanting to say something - wanting to comment, wanting to apologize, wanting to explain - but she could not find the words. The woman understood though, and without so much as a sound from the princess, took it upon herself to break the silence.

"It's not your fault."

The woman was, as she introduced herself, Carla Yager, from the small southern district of Shiganshima. She had a head full of thick, brown hair and defined set of eyebrows above her dark eyes, all of which Mikasa found very pretty and oftentimes would catch herself staring at the other. Carla would catch it too, and teasingly call her out on it. Mikasa would blush and look away, though she would never be too embarrassed to tell the lady why she was staring. Carla would then raise a hand to her cheek and smile, genuinely, as she thanked the princess for the compliment, but assure her that she was very, very pretty herself and would grow into a beautiful woman.

And that was one of the things that set Carla apart from the other servants Mikasa had. Not her ability to compliment the girl - Mikasa got enough of those empty statements on a daily basis - but her genuineness when saying it, and furthermore, her willingness to accept Mikasa's compliments. Too many times, the other person would shake their heads and deny whatever Mikasa complimented them on, out of courtesy, no doubt, but it would make Mikasa feel like no one actually took her seriously despite the outward appearance of respecting the words she said. But then there was Carla, would accepted her opinions with a smile and no questions, and Mikasa finally felt, for once, that there was someone she could reach out to, someone who could see her as a person and not a symbol.

It was obvious, even after a few days, that everything Carla did was done with genuine regard for Mikasa. Unlike the other servants who helped Mikasa get dressed or dumped her in a bath as a part of a predetermined routine, Carla would be there, waking her up in the morning with a gentle rub on the shoulder and a hand through the hair, and sit by her side at night until she fell asleep to the warm timbre of her voice as she recounted some favorite bedtime stories. There was, Mikasa realized, a motherly undertone to everything she did, something that her own mother - the queen - had never been able to achieve.

Which then led to questions about Carla's family. Did she have one? Yes, she did - she was happily married for eleven years to a doctor, and had an angel of a boy who was ten years old. "Just like you, Mikasa!" Hearing this, Mikasa tensed. The weight of her wish for a new maid came crashing down on her again, and she told Carla as sincerely as she could, that it would be okay for her to leave and return to her home. She bit her lip as she said it though, because there was no doubt that by this time, Mikasa had fallen in love with Carla's presence. But it wasn't fair, Mikasa reminded herself, because Carla was not meant to be here with her. She was stolen, stolen from others who loved her just as much, if not more.

But Carla instead asked: "What do you wish?" Everything is a system of give and take, she said. Are you willing to give up someone else's happiness for your own sake? Or would you sacrifice what you want for the sake of others? "It's your choice. Your happiness is worth just as much as that of anyone else."

Mikasa told Carla to stay, and never brought up the topic again. That is, until many weeks later, when Mikasa was digging through Carla's bag of sewing materials.

"What's this?" She fished out an unfinished shoe from the bag; it was many sizes bigger than her feet and made in a material cruder than what was provided at the castle.

"Ah, that." Carla's expression turned soft at the question. "It's a shoe for my son."

Mikasa said nothing, so Carla continued.

"It's for when he's older. I already finished one of the shoes, but I was still working on this one when I was brought here…"

"...Why don't you finish it?"

"Why? Because I'm making shoes for you right now."

Mikasa looked away. "...You can finish this one first."

Carla blinked, momentarily surprised by Mikasa's answer, but quickly transitioned to a smile as she reached a hand to the girl's head. "Thank you, love, but there's no rush. I'll finish it soon."

But she never did. That month, there was a raid on the castle, and library was set ablaze. Carla, whose room was in close proximity, heard the noise and rushed to the site, screaming at the intruders and screaming for help. But help did not arrive quickly enough, and as she turned her back on the library to run back into the hall, a sharp knife caught her in the back.

By the time Mikasa woke up from the ruckus and arrived on scene, the fire had been put out and the wounded retrieved. A silent gasp escaped the girl's lips as she spotted a familiar face among the casualties, and she shoved her way through the crowd to her maid's side.

Numbly, Mikasa fumbled to hold Carla's hand in her own. Tears blurred her vision as she realized the state that the other was in, and she opened her mouth, but no words could come out.

It didn't matter though, because once again, Carla understood.

"It's not your fault."

And then she closed her eyes.

~ o ~

Mikasa woke to clear blue skies, and a sun just above the horizon. A lovely day, and the perfect weather for travelling.

She lay in bed a few moments more - she had dreamt of her past, and was waiting for the aftershock to ease - until a few quiet knocks came on her door.

"Come in."

It was Annie, as always. "Good morning, your Highness."

Mikasa sat up in response, and stood up from her bed as Annie approached the closet to retrieve the day's outfit for her master. She fished out a coarse, brown dress from the back, and Mikasa smiled - Annie was dependable, and never needed to be reminded twice.

With her maid's help, Mikasa slipped out of her nightgown and into the commoner's dress, in preparation for the day's trip ahead. Though in the city she felt no need to disguise herself, travelling outside was different, and concealing her identity no doubt led to a more authentic experience.

She arrived downstairs in the dining hall at 8:02, only to find that Eren was already there. "Good morning, Eren."

Eren stood up and swept his arm across his chest before dipping into a bow. "Good morning, Mikasa." Mikasa noticed the perfect posture and angle of his salute, but chose not to comment on it. Breakfast was served, and after the meal, Mikasa led Eren outside, where the carriage and Armin were waiting.

"G'morning, Mikasa! And Eren, it's great to finally meet you!"

The golden-haired boy reached out a hand and Eren shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Armin. I'll be in your care."

Armin smiled bashfully and raised his palms in front of him. "No need for such formality! I'm just a simple cartographer, and an amateur at best. Let's get along!"

Eren, though never intimidated by Armin, now felt completely at ease and flashed back a bright smile. "Yes, of course!"

There was one more person who joined them, and that was Annie who would be driving the carriage. Eren turned to Armin and asked, "No guards?"

"We're in disguise," Armin replied. "Its easier to travel this way, and besides, we have Mikasa."

Eren wasn't completely satisfied by the explanation, but at the same time, he had seen Mikasa's skill the night before and in no way doubted the princess's power. If she thought it to be okay, then he was fine with it as well.

The four finally departed when the sun angled at 9:00, and in another half hour, they were out the southern gates and into the fields. Eren and Mikasa sat on one side of the closed carriage, facing back, while Armin sat across from them.

"So Eren, I hear you come from the Shiganshina district. Where do you live?" Armin turned a curious gaze to the brunette.

"Well, with my family we lived on the south side, pretty close to the border. The orphanage that I was moved to is just slightly north of that, next to the river."

"Orphanage… I'm sorry to hear. I lost my parents too, but I still have my grandpa. He lives with me in the castle."

Eren waved it off. "It's alright. It's been a while, though I can't say I don't miss them. I met amazing people at the orphanage. There's Hannes, who took me in, and Jean, who's my friend and just around our age. I hope you will be able to meet them."

"That certainly would be nice. It's a relief to hear you were doing well then." Armin turned to the side, pointing his blue eyes out the carriage's window. "Eren… have you ever seen the ocean?"

"Hm?" Eren's eyebrows raised slightly at the question. "Ocean? Um… what is that? Sorry, I've never heard of it." He felt ignorant for having to ask such a question, but Armin didn't look like he would bite.

The blonde raised a reassuring hand. "Don't worry, not many people have around here. We're such a landlocked kingdom that people hardly think of it as being landlocked. But see, supposedly there are huge bodies of water out there… try to think of the river, but as wide as it is long, but maybe even bigger still. That's an ocean. My grandpa told me about it when I was little and all this time I've been wanting to see it for my own eyes. I thought that you, who lived on the outskirts, might have journeyed a bit further out but I guess not."

Eren shook his head. "I've only traveled further south once with my father, to gather herbs - he was a doctor. But we only got as far as the border patrol let us go."

"Same… the border patrol is very strict about not letting anyone through."

Mikasa spoke up at this point. "The patrol has been in place for generations, for the safety of our citizens. But if you truly want to journey out there, Armin… I am sure that I can give orders to let you through."

Armin looked over with wide eyes. "Mikasa? You'd do that?"

"Yes, I can try. They tell us - as my father told me, and his father told him - that there are man-eating monsters beyond the borders, and that is why we are not allowed past them, but to tell the truth… I suspect it is all just a hoax; a trick to keep the citizens within and the kingdom intact. But while this is a lie, I cannot say that I oppose the goal of it. It has kept the kingdom under control for generations, so I hope you will understand."

"Of course, Mikasa. You are right. It is a silly dream of mine after all, and not worth risking the stability of a kingdom over."

Mikasa smiled faintly at Armin. "Yes. But still, I shall see what I can do."

Armin beamed at the princess in thanks, and turned back to watching the outside. "It is a little crazy, when you think about it, how people can be so content with a simple life. Living just to live, and nothing more. But as soon as you catch word of something new, or see a new opportunity, suddenly what you have just isn't enough anymore…"

Armin's voice trailed off, and Eren began to think about the words that were said. They were true, too true; he could hardly think back to what life was like, just a few months ago, when everything revolved around the orphanage and - just as Armin said - staying alive. Of course, there was more to enjoy in life than just that; he and Jean would entertain the little kids, or play cards with each other, but even so, the main focus was to make sure that every day, they had enough resources to put a hot meal on the table, and a warm bed to sleep in at night.

But everything changed the day that he was taken away. He began to long for these unnecessary things: impressing his imposed superior, replacing his crude manners with more refined ones, seeking to win in a game of who-will-break-first, but most of all, wanting to make acquaintance with the princess. As he had told Levi upon their first meeting, he had never even given a thought to meeting members of the royal family, and yet, he found himself sinking into a trap - a trap of want for things that were superfluous at best. And why? All because the seed had been planted into his head, and he could never again be satisfied with how he had lived before this.

Eren wondered then; if given the choice, would he want to go back to how things were before? Maybe he would… things were simple, and he was happy. But with one sideways glance at the princess next to him - and he could see very clearly the smile that was hidden under her neutral expression - Eren knew that it wasn't right of him to think that way. He was very lucky to have met Mikasa, not just for her status, but for her person, her character. By giving up his simple life, he had found himself immersed in something more complicated but just as beautiful; and by leaving those closest to him, he had met and touched the lives of people who he didn't even know existed.

In the corner of his vision, Eren saw Mikasa turn towards him, with a strange sort of expression on her face. He faced her as well, and asked, when she continued to stare at him, "What?"

"You're smiling," Mikasa pointed out. "What's up?"

Eren, who hadn't been aware of his own expression, now broke into a grin. "Oh, it's nothing! Just happened to think of something my mother used to say…"

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Well, my parents were always the adverbial sort - she liked to tell me, 'Everything is a system of give and take,' and you know, I think I finally understood it."

~ o ~

Three hours into the trip, the group stopped in a small village to purchase some lunch, and beyond that, it was only another hour before familiar terrain began to appear on the horizon.

"Hmmm… oh! That's it! You can see the orphanage from here!" Eren exclaimed gleefully with his head out the window and a hand over his eyes to shield it from the afternoon sun. Mikasa and Armin looked out the window as well, but of course, they had no way to tell which one was the house that Eren spoke of in the distance.

They were closing in by the minute, and Eren was practically jumping with anticipation at the idea of finally returning home. It was highly unprofessional, he knew - (one of the basic rules of etiquette, he had learned, was to first sit still,) - but the atmosphere had since become very casual and Eren was never one to be able to contain his excitement. The castle was but a far off place now, and even Mikasa had shed her identity of a princess in favor of that of a commoner.

"We are going to go by the orphanage, right?" Eren asked this with a bounce in his voice, and Mikasa couldn't help but associate the boy with an eager puppy-dog. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"Well, we had planned to stay in a nearby inn, but if they wouldn't mind, I would love to pay a visit."

"Of course not! Hannes and Jean would be delighted to meet you guys. Alright then," - Eren spoke out of the window again, directing his voice towards Annie - "Keep going until you see that big wooden sign over there, then turn left. It's the last house on the right."

In a few more minutes, the carriage pulled up in front of the house, and Eren all but exploded from his seat and rushed to the front door. Eyes wide and lips in a wide smile, he raised a hand to knock on the door but was cut short by the sound of footsteps coming from around the back. Eren took a few steps backwards to see around the corner, and was met with a sight shot another wave of happiness through his chest.

"Jean!" Eren launched himself at his friend, almost toppling both of them over, but thank goodness that Jean was taller and kept them upright. "I'm back!"

"Oh my fucking god, Eren, is that you?" Jean, who hardly had time to look at the visitor before being attacked by a hug, pulled the other person off of him, and stared with a look of disbelief. "Shit, it really is you."

"Of course it is! God, I'm so happy to see you again!" Eren couldn't stop smiling.

Jean cleared this throat, attempting to gather his thoughts. "Yeah, yeah… you too… wow, uh… Man, where have you been? I mean, I know where you've been - we got the letters - but it still makes absolutely no sense to me, and then the letters stopped for like, a fucking month! What happened?"

Eren frowned teasingly. "You're one to talk! You guys never sent a single letter back!" He avoided that last question on purpose, not exactly wanting to think about that period of time.

"Alright, alright. Tell me later, and tell me _everything_."

Eren rolled his eyes. "_Sure_."

"But okay - then, uh," Jean peered over Eren's head, eying the carriage and the blonde girl that sat out in front. "Why are you back? Did you come in that thing?"

"Yes! Uh, so actually…" Eren meant to explain the situation, but changed tracks halfway through as he noticed that the two others inside thhe carriage were getting off. "Let me introduce you! Here's Armin, a castle cartographer" - Armin responded with a shy wave - "and then here's… Jean? Yo Jean are you still with me?"

Jean had since stopped paying attention, jaw open and very obviously ogling at the dark-haired beauty who had just stepped down from the carriage. Eren, realizing what Jean was doing, had to try very hard not to laugh, and instead waved an arm in front of his friend. "Hello? Earth to Jean?"

Jean snapped his gaze away, looking instead to the brunette now, but Eren could tell from the look on his face that he still wasn't completely there. "Okay, as I was saying, that's M-"

"I'm Mikasa," The girl cut in, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She dipped into a curtsy.

"Oh my god…" Jean immediately sank to his knees, bowing his nose all the way to the ground. "Good afternoon, your Highness!"

"No, please, please! Stand up. Please just… let's just pretend I'm a commoner for today, alright?" She pulled the man up and smiled, making Jean look at her once more, standing stance that looked painfully straight and rigid.

"I'm Jean!" He declared. "I'm Eren's friend! I cook! I like horses! My mother is of French descent by my father is German! I have dated a girl once when I was 15 but now I'm-"

He was interrupted by a hand over his mouth from Eren, who decided to stop him before he embarrassed himself further. Jean turned red upon realizing how stupid he sounded, but then Mikasa started to giggle, and Armin joined in, and soon Jean and Eren were laughing as well and everything slipped into a comfortable lightheartedness.

"Okay, okay!" Jean said, as the laughter finally died down. "I can help put the horses around back, with Miss…?"

"Annie," The blond girl, who hadn't said a word up to this point, supplied curtly.

"Nice to meet you, Annie. Just follow me then…"

"Actually," Armin spoke up, "Just leave the carriage. You see, we're actually here to survey the terrain for map making purposes. We're only planning on staying one night, so Annie and I will take the horses and get started on that. We'll be back by sundown."

"I see," Eren replied. "Take care then!"

Armin and Annie took off after that, leaving Jean and Eren to show Mikasa around the house. Truth to be told, there wasn't much to show, especially in comparison to the castle or manor that was easily a hundred of more times this size, but Eren was in no way ashamed of this house either.

"So here's the house that Jean, Hannes, and I live in. Here's the dining room, and the fireplace, then back there is the kitchen. That little hallway leads to Hannes' room; Jean's room is off to the left, and my room is up in the attic. The actual orphanage is a separate building around back, and that's where all the kids sleep. It's not much but, you know, it's enough."

"No, I think it's lovely," Mikasa replied, without any sliver of sarcasm or hesitation. Jean beamed, and Eren smiled as well. "Hannes… is that the name? Is he around?"

Eren looked to Jean for an answer. "He's out right now, but will probably be back for dinner." Jean then turned to Mikasa. "For tonight, you and Annie can take my room, and Armin can squeeze with Eren and I in the attic, does that sound alright?"

"Oh, no, we couldn't possibly impose - we planned to stay in an inn for the night…"

"And where would that inn be? We haven't had many travellers in these regions for a while. The one that was just down the street closed down, and the closest one after that is a good hour away. I'd say you all should just stay here; it's not a bother to us, really."

"Oh..." Mikasa replied, embarrassed that she had failed to plan out the trip correctly. "If that's the case then, thank you dearly for the offer."

In another while, Jean and Eren began to prepare dinner, leaving Mikasa free to wander the house. She took this chance to steal her way up to Eren's room; it wasn't right of her, she knew, but she had to… there were things that she needed to see.

It was a small room with a tented ceiling, illuminated by slanted rays of light from a window on the side. She could stand straight only in the middle of the room, and beyond that, she needed to crouch or crawl. A cot lay in the corner, with a sack of belongings on top of it - Eren had already come up here to drop off his stuff - and a wooden desk stood in front of the window.

Wordlessly, Mikasa approached the desk, eyes having caught onto what she came to find. A picture frame, dusty, but unbroken, of three people - a man, woman, and child - laughing, smiling… A family. The familiar arch of the woman's brows and the warmness of the brown eyes that were so distinctly Carla's sent a wave of emotions through the raven-haired princess that in an instant, her eyes had welled up with tears. It felt just like the time when Mikasa first learned of Carla's family, felt as if she was rediscovering the fact with full force. She set down the picture frame with a quivering hand as to not let the tears flow down.

She scanned the room after that - there was one more thing she wanted to see, but she could not find it, until her eyes finally settled on the bag that Eren left on top of his bed. It was wrong, Mikasa reminded herself again, but it did not stop her; she resolved to opening up the bag and was relieved to find that her target was right at the top.

It was, of course, the shoe - the other shoe, to be exact. It was reassuring to realize that Eren kept it with him at all times, to know that he did not forget his mother any more than Mikasa had. She traced her fingers over the patterns - good, they looked just like the patterns on the other one. After Carla passed away, Mikasa had frantically dug through her sewing materials, and luckily stumbled upon a sheet of paper, detailing the patterns for the shoe. For the next few months, Mikasa had taken it upon herself to complete the project despite having no sewing experience. It was hard, and she struggled, but she felt that it was her responsibility to finish what Carla had left behind. All there was to do now, was to give the shoe back to the boy.

A sudden ruckus from downstairs brought Mikasa's thoughts back to the present, as she quickly tucked the shoe back where it belong. She wondered if she should go see what had happened, and decided yes, because it would be a good time to slip back downstairs without anyone questioning her whereabouts. Upon arriving back in the dining room, Mikasa was surprised to see that the noise had been caused by two little kids storming into the room, one boy and one girl. The girl was currently crying her eyes out, yelling and pointing towards the boy.

"Franz pulled my hair! I told him to stop and he just laughed at me- Waaaaaah!"

Eren, who had put down his spatula at this point, bent down to pick up the little girl, patting her on the back all the while. "Shhh, shhh. Calm down Hannah, it's okay. Now Franz, why didn't you stop when Hannah asked you to?"

"She said I had cooties!" Franz retorted, sticking his nose in the air. "And what are those ponytails supposed to be for, anyways?"

The comment coaxes a fresh batch of tears from the girl, but Eren just chuckled and rubbed her back until the crying died out. Finally, he put Hannah back on her feet, and kneeled down. "Okay you two, please try to get along, all right? Franz, no more pulling on Hannah's hair. And Hannah, no more saying mean things. Agreed?"

The two nodded their heads obediently and ran out the door to resume their children's games. Mikasa retreated to a chair by the fireplace and tried her best not to think of just how similar Eren was to his mother.

~ o ~

Dinner passed as expected; after bringing food over to the kids, Eren and Jean set the table and welcomed Armin and Annie back from the trip. Hannes showed up at this point as well, once again tipsy but very happy to see Eren again and glad to welcome the guests. The food, though in no way comparable to the feasts at the castle, were well-made and _home_made, and everyone seemed to enjoy it thoroughly.

After dinner, Mikasa and Annie left to set up some more sheets in Jean's room, while Armin settled down in Eren's room to continue his work on the maps. Hannes excused himself to go entertain the children, which left Jean and Eren in the kitchen to clean up after the meal. Eren took this chance to fill in some details for Jean, though he made a point to leave out his personal feelings on the matter, because even at this point, he wasn't sure of the things that he was feeling.

When he was finished relating his tale, a short silence ensued, until Jean broke it by saying. "Dude, Mikasa's beautiful."

Eren's breath hitched slightly in his throat. "Yeah…" He agreed.

They went back to silence, though Jean's comment left a strange feeling in Eren's mind. It wasn't that Eren hadn't noticed Mikasa's beauty until now; he noticed it very well even on their first meeting, but hearing it from Jean's mouth made it different. For Eren, as he realized, it had always been a feeling of a commoner to an idol, but from Jean... it was from a man to a woman. Eren gulped as he contemplated the idea further. What did he really feel about this?

"You're lucky," Jean sighed, breaking the quiet once again. "I don't know what type of relationship you have with her - and it seems like you don't know either - but I just know that she's damn beautiful, and you're very lucky."

Eren looked down towards the plate he was washing, and turned Jean's words through his head again.

"Yeah… I'm very lucky."

* * *

**A/N:** If you're missing Levi, you're not alone. I miss him too. But fear not, for he'll make a return next chapter!

I do enjoy family Mikasa x Carla though; actually, I just enjoy Carla in general because she's just kind of awesome. And really pretty. Heh.


End file.
